Chance Encounters

Review: Adulthood

0 Comments | Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England), June 20, 2008

NEWS headlines are grim … teenagers are dying on the streets of London every month, the victims of a disenfranchised youth culture determined to make its voice heard violently.

Cinema seeks to reflect contemporary concerns, so Noel Clarke’s hard-hitting snapshot of 21st century life on the streets of the capital couldn’t arrive at a better time.

Set six years after the events of Kidulthood, this sequel is a vanity project for writer and actor Clarke, who takes control behind the camera, replacing director Menhaj Huda.

Six years after school bully Sam (Clarke) killed Trife (Aml Ameen), he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping ground in West London, still plagued by guilt.

The ex-con tracks down the people he hurt, like Trife’s girlfriend Alisa (Madrell) and the dead boy’s pal Moony (Oyeniran). None of them are in a mood to absolve Sam of his sins, not least Trife’s best friend Jay (Deacon).

The plot barely hangs together and Clarke elevates cliches to giddy new heights, populating the streets with bad boys who posture and cuss with no conviction.

The writer/director’s inability to generate empathy for his characters as they wrestle with their demons undermines any good intentions. This is particularly evident when it comes to the shocking lurid confession concerning Lexi (Johnson, unrecognisable from her EastEnder role as Vicki Fowler).

STARRING: Noel Clarke, Adam Deacon, Scarlett Alice Johnson, Danny Dyer DIRECTOR: Noel Clarke CERTIFICATE: 15 RUNNING TIME: 99mins REVIEWER’S RATING: ** SHOWING: Cineworld & Showcase VERDICT: Clarke’s muted portrayal of his sorrowful loner contrasts with the screeching of some of his co-stars, while Scarlett Alice Johnson is virtually unrecognisable as social outcast Lexi, who befriends Sam in his hour of need.