Kicks

Filmmaker Justin Tipping's debut is told through the introspective eyes of 15-year-old Brandon (Jahking Guillory), a curly-locked denizen of a hardscrabble urban neighborhood where criminal gangs, drug abuse, and rampant shootings are the norm. Brandon spends his days with his two best friends, the slick and fit Rico (Christopher Meyer) and the rotund, sexually-boastful virgin Albert (Christopher Jordan Wallace). Brandon dreams of replacing his flimsy slippers with a fresh pair of Air Jordans, glamorous footwear that he sees not just as a sign of status but as a link to his greater desire to one day fly through the cosmos as an astronaut, far away from Earth's troubles. Brandon acquires the expensive shoes through a shifty street merchant, but his happiness is short-lived after a teenaged hood named Flaco (Kofi Siriboe) steals them during a humiliating beat-down. After consulting with his jailbird uncle (Mahershala Ali,) and nabbing a loaded gun from his house, Brandon sets out with his two pals to take back what is rightfully his, even if it means succumbing to the brutality that has claimed almost everyone he knows. Free of the ham-fisted morality that has marred similar films, Kicks effectively depicts life in the ghetto with little to no fanfare while still managing to maintain a stylized look. Highly recommended. (J. Cruz)