Kidulthood - A 2006 British (urban) Drama/ Tragedy/ Arthouse Film
The traditional teenage gender roles are becoming slightly more blurred today as society changes and the dominant ideology moves on. The traditional stereotype of the teenage boy was one of the rebel, the teenage thug and gangster trouble maker and even though society has changed this stereotype is still the one predominately presented in the media today. This is the stereotype that is highlighted in Kidulthood.
The music that is used in the film falls in to the grime, rap and hip-hop genre and is produced by urban artists such as ‘Dizzee Rascal’, ’Lethal Bizzle’, and ‘Shystie’. This demonstrates the stereotypical music that teenagers must listen to. It is also used to attract the target audience of teenagers, possible those who experience similar situations as the characters.
The language in Kidulthood is predominately inner city London slang. The dialect is said to contain many elements from the languages of Jamaica and West Africa.
The clothing worn by the characters in the film is commonly worn in inner city London by teenagers and consists of baggy clothing, hooded jackets and jumpers, caps, trainers and chains. This stereotypes the image of teenagers today into this visual image.
The settings in the film reflect the reality of inner city life with the scenes set in council estates, shopping centres, in dark alleys, on public transport and at house parties. Much of the action takes place on the streets and may give the text authenticity and believability for the audience.
The film deals with stereotypical typical teenage, for the most part teenagers living in inner city London, issues including drugs, sex, violence, and poverty. The film deals with drugs as there is dealing and drug using illustrated throughout the film. There are many violent scenes in the film, in one scene a character (Trife) is forced by his uncle to torture