Kidulthood

[Matt Wicker]

Hmmm,

 

Very Interesting discussion, I'm a Londoner born and bred, I grew up on one of those council estates and thankfully escaped it. Just to put the record straight though.

 

CHAV = Council Housed And Violent

 

Well that's what I was led to believe.

 

Moving on, I have just watched Kidulthood. The photography was beautiful and the soundtrack was spot on.

 

I can honestly say it was possibly the scariest film I have ever seen. That's personal though because those places are my roots. However you can't blame everything on social environment or I would be just like one of the characters in the film!

 

Not to be too contraversial, but I don't think buildings make slums and ghettos, people do.

 

Anyway being an ardent brit film fan I loved it even though my palms were sweating thinking ***t that could have been me.

 

Love this home grown gritty stuff, Kidulthood, Bullet Boy, Lock Stock.. Commitments etc,

 

Just my twopence, take it with a pinch of salt

 

PS one for all you brits, just watched the first part of Prime Suspect, the rough old comprehensive school was the one I attended!!

[Daniel Smith]

Hmmm,

 

Very Interesting discussion, I'm a Londoner born and bred, I grew up on one of those council estates and thankfully escaped it. Just to put the record straight though.

 

CHAV = Council Housed And Violent

 

Well that's what I was led to believe.

 

Moving on, I have just watched Kidulthood. The photography was beautiful and the soundtrack was spot on.

 

I can honestly say it was possibly the scariest film I have ever seen. That's personal though because those places are my roots. However you can't blame everything on social environment or I would be just like one of the characters in the film!

 

Not to be too contraversial, but I don't think buildings make slums and ghettos, people do.

 

Anyway being an ardent brit film fan I loved it even though my palms were sweating thinking ***t that could have been me.

 

Love this home grown gritty stuff, Kidulthood, Bullet Boy, Lock Stock.. Commitments etc,

 

Just my twopence, take it with a pinch of salt

 

PS one for all you brits, just watched the first part of Prime Suspect, the rough old comprehensive school was the one I attended!!

This is what I mean by when I compare it to some of the neo-realism films of the 50/60's.

 

I mean, the story line is pretty basic, as were the story lines from neo-realism films. So, both films do not cut it as a hollywood standard, but they are detracting away from that to show what life is really like.

 

Like you, I can compare Kidulthood to real life, that makes it all the more powerfull. And I'm sure the majority of kids in England could aswell.

 

This is why I don't agree with the rating on imdb. Because this film really hit the spot and far as showing what life is like in England.

[Matt Wicker]

Thanks Daniel,

 

It's not often I get fully quoted!!!

 

You've put it much more eloquently than I could have.

 

 

Just to explain a little more though, it was the little things more than the basic plot that hit me so hard. The plot, so OK it's a film it has to have a story of sorts, but the details, the places. I still say it's powerful stuff.

 

But the beauty of this and others like it, are it's ability to grab those closest to it the most, if you see what I mean.

 

For example I really loved "8 Mile", but it didn't disturb me like Kidulthood did, because I don't come from Detroit.

 

Don't get me wrong I love a good blockbuster or an intelligent Sci-Fi, or sometimes even some right old tosh if I just want a little light entertainment.

 

However I really do think there is a lot of room for films that will hit a certain group right between the eyes in a realistic way. The down side to this is that the harder it hits the target group the more specialised it is the more it is likely to get slated by those it doesn't target. It doesn't mean the film is bad though.

 

Personally I look forward to more of this kind of filmaking, some stuff suits global blockbuster, other stuff suits " Oh my god that could have been me" or "Wow I really relate to that"

 

Can't have everything in one box though, ever tried as a kid to mix every colour in your paint box into one mind blowing fantastic new colour? for those that haven't you get a grey brown mush. I think that tells us something.

 

Long live Individuality and diversity

 

Matt

[Matthew Buick]

What happened?

 

It was at a family party, I just went across the street to get a wide shot of the house, everyone else was inside, I was just finishing up when a group of chavs came up to me and demanded my camcorder (a DCR IP 220E), this close to the house I felt pretty safe, so I told them where to stick it (not wise), they preceeded to beat the krap out 'o' me while one brought out a pen knife, I ended up with a broken nose and needing 15 stitches, but worst of all, my new camcorder was destroyed, they obviously weren't the brightest of the bunch because after they had finished with me (I was unconsious at the time) they started stamping on my camcorder, this was at a time when these cameras still cost a £1200+, so obviously I wasn't too happy, and neither was my dad, who had bought the camera for me a month before, luckily it was insured, so I got another one a few weeks later, which I still have today.

 

Teh moral of teh story is......DINNAE MESS WI' CHAVZ.

[Andy_Alderslade]

It was at a family party, I just went across the street to get a wide shot of the house, everyone else was inside, I was just finishing up when a group of chavs came up to me and demanded my camcorder (a DCR IP 220E), this close to the house I felt pretty safe, so I told them where to stick it (not wise), they preceeded to beat the krap out 'o' me while one brought out a pen knife, I ended up with a broken nose and needing 15 stitches, but worst of all, my new camcorder was destroyed, they obviously weren't the brightest of the bunch because after they had finished with me (I was unconsious at the time) they started stamping on my camcorder, this was at a time when these cameras still cost a £1200+, so obviously I wasn't too happy, and neither was my dad, who had bought the camera for me a month before, luckily it was insured, so I got another one a few weeks later, which I still have today.

 

Teh moral of teh story is......DINNAE MESS WI' CHAVZ.

 

How auful - have you had the stiches out yet?

 

Perhaps in future situations its better to sacrifice your camera (or even just leg-it if you can) rather than trying to stand up to that sort and risk your personal safety - though admitedly i've rarely been in that sort of situation myself (be it luck or that i was 6'4 tall when I was 15 maybe).

 

Good that you got your camera replaced though.

[Matthew Buick]

Thanks. :D

 

The stitches are long gone, this was 2004, you're probably right, if it's Video let it go, if it's film then fight to the death.

[Daniel Smith]

Sounds harsh... you ever find out who it was?

 

Well, I suppose it's better in a way that they smashed it up as opposed to just taking it. For reasons that:

 

1. It would be pain me more than anything to see a group of butthole chavs getting away with a £1200 camera.

 

2. Depending on the insurance, they might have covered damage, but not theft. Meaning you wouldn't have been able to get a replacement.

 

 

To be honest though, sometimes it may be worth giving them what they want. Because you never know what kind of a nutter they are. When you refused to give it to them, they may have stabbed and killed you, you never know.

 

And no object is worth your life. They can be replaced, you can't.

 

 

Not that I ever really took that advice in myself.. I was just lucky.

[Matthew Buick]

Sounds harsh... you ever find out who it was?

 

Well, I suppose it's better in a way that they smashed it up as opposed to just taking it. For reasons that:

 

1. It would be pain me more than anything to see a group of butthole chavs getting away with a £1200 camera.

 

2. Depending on the insurance, they might have covered damage, but not theft. Meaning you wouldn't have been able to get a replacement.

To be honest though, sometimes it may be worth giving them what they want. Because you never know what kind of a nutter they are. When you refused to give it to them, they may have stabbed and killed you, you never know.

 

And no object is worth your life. They can be replaced, you can't.

Not that I ever really took that advice in myself.. I was just lucky.

 

Yeah, they got arrested when they assaulted a 12 year old boy and rode off on his bike, they police spotted them because they were performing dangerous stunts in a park on the aforementioned bike. The one who knifed me got 1 year in borstal, 2 of his cronies got 6 months, another guy got an ASBO, and one got of on Bail by dumping the Hunting Knife guy in the poop.

 

It would have been a bummer if they had gained £1200 worth of camcorder, I wouldn't have Pride and Joy Mk. 2, but an upshot of then taking the camera would be that they would probably have diddled themselves by an enormous amount trying to resell it.

 

Next time I'll just let them take it, you're right, they could have been really dangerous, it probably would have been had I not chosen to wear my thick Schott Jacket.

 

THANKS AMERICA !!! :D :D :D :D :D

[K Borowski]

Still blaming the colonies for all of your problems Brits ;-) ? While I don't like likening the type of behavior to a certain culture, and this word does, I think the American equivalent of "Chav" would be "Whigga". Seriously though, there are better things to tlak about than hoodlums. I mean, before all the "gangsta" poop that's going on today got started there were British street urchins, you know the ones with the manchester accents that go around calling everyone "Guv'nah". Look at "My Fair Lady". I think this type of a behavior is symptomatic of the sick society that we live in. It comes from broken households, deadbeat parents and poverty. Of COURSE dealing drugs and robbing people looks and feels glamorous, because it is an escape from that feeling of poverty and emptiness that weigh these people down every day. There was a film called I think "Crash" out in the past few years that did a pretty effective job of addressing the issues of racism and stereotypes etc. It was way overdone in parts (I actually laughed at the scene where there were the human slaves in the back of the van, not because it was funny, but because the movie went so overboard there, and the guy said "and you can keep the van"), but I think it raised some interesting points. I don't think Chavs or hoodlums shoudl be glorified or villainized in dramatic films, I think they should be depicted as they really are, in as unbiased as possible a documentary, so people can see how truly attrocious they still are, despite being portrayed as neutrally as possible. These types of people are out to bring about anarchy, the decline of arts, and culture, and marriage, and civilized society. They are out to erase what mankind has strived for in the past few centuries, to rise above our inequities and enter into a truly civilized age, and here comes this uneducated counterclass. I guess it is partially our fault, and I guess there will always be these types of people until we can completely eliminate poverty and poor parenting. We can feel bad for these kids too, because they don't have hobbies or career aspirations like filmmaking or something else, so they turn to terrible anarchistic activities instead.

 

Regards,

 

~Karl Borowski

[Tomas Koolhaas]

I studied sociology in school and found one phrase very interesting "Status frustration" it implies that people look for status wherever they can find it, and If they cannot get any from the mainstream system ie. Teachers (because you are bad in school) parents (because they dont care about you) or society in general (because you dont have a job or education etc..) you create your own subculture which has it's own set of values that allows you to get status. For example my secondary school was rough, and hardly anyone respected the teachers and paid any attention in class because in the subculture of the school being clever or a "Swat","Geek" or "Ponce" would not advance your status but diminish it, however being "Hard" would, so if you got into a fight and won people would respect you, if you did your homework on time, people would make fun of you. I think this is what we are seing on a larger scale in English society today, Kids dont get any respect/status from accepted avenues so they create their own "Counterculture" which allows them to achieve a high level of status (for being a good thief or robber for example).

[Rupe Whiteman]

CHAV= COUNCIL HOUSE ADULT VERMIN... and their childred?: CHIV= COUNCIL HOUSE INFANT VERMIN...!

 

Having worked (too much) in tv I often hear these terms used by smart-arsed middle class media production types to put people down. I've worked on many shows where production has this view of the people we're filming - It's depressing. They are MMWT'S = MIDDLECLASS MEDIA WANKER TYPE'S...

 

Rupe Whiteman