Kidulthood (DVD, 2008)

Trife is a 15-year-old West Londoner, torn between doing the right thing and mounting peer pressure to do the opposite. His circle of friends are not the only negative influence in his life: his uncle, too, seems to be leading him astray. When a tragedy involving a young girl? suicide forces the school to close, Trife and his classmates are faced with extracurricular activities like gang violence, drugs and casual sex. KIDULTHOOD paints a fairly bleak picture of what it must be like growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, but manages to offset the popular image of antisocial youths, with the deeply troubled, emotionally frail human beings they really are. Aml Ameen, who plays Trife, is convincing as a young boy desperately trying to escape his circumstances and not end up a victim. KIDULTHOOD takes its cue from such socially-conscious films as KIDS and packs a powerful, disturbing punch. The soundtrack features contributions from urban acts Dizzee Rascal, Kano, and The Streets.