‘I LIVE THERE TOO. WHERE'S MY STORY?’
Boy in the hoodie
NOEL CLARKE seems to have been omnipresent on British TV for the last five years and now he has written a controversial new film. Sarah Stewart meets him.
lt/lt/ltmtl ix a hlixtering. i'ayy depietion til 48
hourx in the lite ol a group ol \\ ext l.ondon
15-year—oldx. Dealing \\llll underage xe\. bullying. xtiieide. drugx and teen pregnaney. it xlapx you in tlte l’aee. eoinplete \yith an outxlanding l'lx' grime/hip hop .xoundtt'aek. It \\ ax \yritten hy fill—year- old .\'oel (‘larke (pictured). \yho dixeoneertingly hax xtarred iii eyei’ything l'i'oin (‘ityiiti/Ii'. In Him and quf IIit’r/t'l'yt’llt'll PM It) .‘I lit/It‘ll (If. I'./'(l\l Iiel-tll'L‘ .xtai'i'ing ax the \‘Illztlliollx bully in the film. When I meet (‘larke. I tell him I needed a xtill drink alter the .xei'eening. lle litidx. "I‘halix e\;lL‘ll} “lliil \Iike Skinner from the Streetx xaid. We got liiiti in to \yateh it. to see if he‘d let ux uxe liix track on the xoundtraek. He .xaid the .xame. It left him needing a drink.’
Set in Notting Hill. Kit/H/I/ltmt/ will he a xhoek l'or audieneex axed to xeeing the area through Riehai'd (‘tit‘tix t'lieks. in all itx latte-xipping. boutique— ,x'liopping glory. Did (‘larke reliin xmaxliing that pet'eeption'.’ ‘l'y'e got nothing againxt ('tii'tix. l‘\ e watched all hix moyiex. I mean. \yhen there'x a lilm about your area. you \yateh it. don't you‘.’ But the problem I had with thoxe lilmx \yax that I greyy up in that area. .x‘o l \\';i.x thinking. “Well. I liy e there too. \Vhere'x my may 1’" I \y ax adamant that \ye'd xlimll in my part of next London. If anything. it \yax xeeing .x‘tul'l'on TV that annoyed me that made me xx rite it.'
The film is dexerying ot' eomparixonx to Kaxxoy it/'x Lu [ltllll('. Meirellex‘ ('iiy‘ of (it’d. I30) lcix 'l'nit'nx/mtting and probably moxt prexeiently Dominie Say'age'x award-winning ()m of ('oiitrol. ly'it/ii/r/iom/ is a dark and honext portrait of a group xpiralling iitto
40 THE LIST Q91? ‘.1.i' ..
an ahy xx. Hut ('lai‘ke xlit‘tigx oll' xueli pai'allelx. 'l liay e no eoinplaintx ahout llitixL‘ eoinparixonx. 'l‘liey ‘i'e lilinx I liked for their truth. hilt l \yrole tliix xeript before I‘d xeen them. I guexx 'Ii'tiiiix/mttiiie touched on that drug culture of itx time and ly'it/ii/Ilium/ t'eprexentx today'x xo-ealled "hoodie eultui'e". ('i'itiex liaye alxo been naineelieeking l.ari'y ('lark'x Kit/y. \yliieh I loy ed when in eaine otit in 1095 'eo\ people \\ ere outraged. xaying. “'l‘eenx aren't doing thix?" I remember thinking. "Yex they are. I knoyy heeatixe I'm doing it?" (‘larke'x xure the film \yill tranxlate l'or audieneex nationyyide. "l'lie ixxuex Ill the film are tiniyei'xal. Kit/ii/I/imu/ doexn't haye the xeale ol' \iolenee ol xtl} ('in~ «it (ital. hut in tei'inx ol' hully itig and teen xuieide . it’x happening eyeryyyhet‘e. lt eould happen in any community. lt'x not only young ui‘han kidx \yho are heliaying like tliix.‘ 'l‘lie l'ilin‘x a l'iei‘ee \yatelt and (Luke ix \yeai‘y ol aeettxationx that it protnotex xti‘eet \iolenee. ‘l‘in not itixtil‘ying or glainourixing anything. I‘m itixt highlighting \yhat'x happening. People \in| xay it proinotex "happy xlapping". But I \yrote thix lilin oy er three yeai'x ago. It \yax happening then. htit the prexx hay e only juxt jumped on the handyyagon.~ .\ny\\ay. (‘lai'ke reekonx it'x not a l‘olitieal lilin. 'I‘itll‘ all itx xoeial realixni. at the end ol' the day. it'x yiuxt a lilin. lt‘x there to pl‘oyoke xoine xort oi reaetion. hut it‘x alxo there to entertain. 'l'hat‘x the point.’
Kidulthood is showing at Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow and Vue Ocean, Edinburgh from Fri 3 Mar. See review, page 42.
llit >I<
THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
* L’Enfant (The Child) Jean—Pierre and Luc Dardenne‘s first film Since 2002's brilliant Le Fi/s Who 8077). is an unforgettany terse study of white trash dynamics; in the industrial Belgium town of Seraing. See reView. page 44. Fl/Ili/iOL/SG. Edinburgh (from Fri 3 Mar).
* The Proposition Aussies Nick Cave and John Hillcoat make their first film together in 18 years and it's a blood soaked beauty mate. plus it's got a million dollar cast. See review. page 42. General release (from Fri 70 Mar).
* Pavee Lackeen Crusading and award winning drama documentary about the lives of Ireland‘s gypsy population. See review, page 44. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow (from Mon 6 Mar only) and Cineworld. Edinburgh (from Fri 9 Mar only).
* Manderlay The second part to Lars Von Trier's 'American Trilogy' is every bit as intellectually rigorous and bizarre as its predecessor Dogvi/le. See interView. page 43 and review. page 411. Film/muse, Edinburin (from Fri 3 Mar).
* Renault French Film Festival This wonderful annual month long celebration of le cinema Francais kicks off this fortnight. Highlights include a Bertrand Tavernier retrospective. Klapisch's new film Russian Dolls and Guediguian’s My Father was an Engineer. See index. listings. Rough Cuts. page 42 and frenchfilmfestivalorg.uk Selected cinemas.
3|! Hidden Hanaeke's masterpiece gets a brief theatrical reprise. This is the best film you will see all year. GFT. Glasgow (Mon 73 - Wed 75 Mar only).
ill Tintin et Moi Fascinating Danish documentary about the life and times of Tintin creator Hergé now available on DVD. See review, page 45. Anchor Bay (out Mon 73 Mar).