This film, intended as a British take on Larry Clark's *Kids*, strives for authenticity and impact with *Kidulthood*, though it doesn’t quite hit the mark. The narrative centers around a group of young people in London who have an unexpected day off from school following a classmate’s suicide resulting from bullying. From there, different groups of friends go their separate ways, and what unfolds consistently includes drug use, acts of violence, casual encounters, worries about teenage pregnancy, retribution, and frequent profanity delivered in slang. All of this is packed into a single 24-hour timeframe, implying that young people today are constantly experiencing excitement when they’re not in school. Writer Noel Clarke (also appearing in the film) and director Menhaj Huda seem determined to maintain a sense of rawness and genuineness, but it ultimately feels far-fetched. At times, it almost seems like a group of friends made a movie and acted out some fantasies where they could be bad for just one day. There are attempts at incorporating meaningful messages—intended as an alert to parents and adults about what’s happening around them—but the sensationalism takes over. The film feels assembled from various episodes, and character development and motivations are handled superficially; those involved seem to have gone too far in their relentless pursuit of shocking viewers. Certain moments are certainly captivating, while the music has energy and Brian Tufano's cinematography is excellent. However, by the time you reach the overly didactic ending, you might feel like you haven’t gained any new insights into today’s troublesome and seemingly uncaring youth. 6/10

Source on TMDB