kldulLhood

1he school bully Sam eel (noel Clarke) ls Lhe maln anLagonlsL AnoLher sLudenL kaLle (8ebecca
MarLln) ls belng physlcally and emoLlonally bullled by a group of glrls led by Shaneek (SLephanle ul
8ubbo) and ls separaLely LhreaLened by Sam Per parenLs do noL know Lhe exLenL of Lhe bullylng AfLer
belng plcked up from school a dlsLraughL kaLle flees Lo her bedroom wrlLes a noLe and hangs herself
1he sLudenLs are Lhen glven a day off for mournlng buL lnsLead prepare for a parLy 1revor !ay (Adam
ueacon) and Moony (leml Cyenlran) spend Lhe day sLeallng Lrylng Lo Lalk Lo women drlnklng alcohol
and smoklng cannabls Allsa and her frlend 8ecky (!amle WlnsLone) declde Lo geL drunk and hlgh before
Lhe parLy desplLe Allsas pregnancy Allsa has recenLly dlscovered LhaL she ls pregnanL and she ls unsure
as Lo how Lo cope wlLh Lhe news 8ecky Lakes Allsa Lo an older mans house where Lhey perform sexual
acLs ln reLurn for drugs 8ecky ls Lhe lnsLlgaLor and Allsa feels LhaL she has Lo follow her frlends acLlons
Meanwhlle Lhe boys Lrlck Lhelr way lnLo Sams house ln order Lo reLrleve a Cameboy he had sLolen
earller buL Lhen also sLeal drugs When Sam reLurns and LhreaLens Lhem Lhe boys overpower hlm beaL
hlm and escape followed by Sams glrlfrlend Clalre (Madelelne lalrley) whom !ay had seduced ln Lhe
process Lhey knock Sams moLher Lo Lhe floor whlch ls laLer used as a preLexL for revenge by Sam
kldulLhood uses many convenLlons and challenges LhaL have been named above Lhls movle has more of
a drama feel abouL lL whllsL we do geL Lhe occaslonal laugh or Lwo Cne convenLlon LhaL Lhls fllm uses
would be bullylng and Lhls ls ofLen seen and used ln May drama fllms Lhls convenLlon can have qulLe a
serlous effecL on Lhe LargeL audlence and we are ofLen qulLe shocked when we see Lhls convenLlon
kldulLhood uses bullylng very well because Lhey lndlcaLe whaL lL can do Lo cerLaln lndlvlduals and as ln
real llfe people do commlL sulclde As some of Lhe LargeL audlences are young people lL glves a real eye
openlng ln Lo how llfe aL school can be for Lhese vlcLlms Cverall we feel LhaL Lhls convenLlon has been
used Lo Lhe besL of lLs ablllLy noL [usL because of how lL's screened buL because of Lhe lnslghL lnLo how
power ls so slgnlflcanL ln Loday's world




A furLher convenLlon LhaL kldulLhood uses ls alcohol and drug use LhroughouL Lhe fllm we flnd LhaL
kldulLhood uses Lhls convenLlon very well and Lhrough Lhe young people LhaL Lake Lhese drugs we flnd
LhaL Lhere ls a vlclous clrcle golng on ln Loday's socleLy MosL of Lhe LargeL audlence could relaLe Lo Lhls
convenLlon because Lhey may know someone who Lakes drugs and by kldulLhood uslng Lhls convenLlon
Lhe young audlence may feel LhaL Lhey connecL wlLh Lhe fllm more because lL can relaLe Lo Lhelr soclal
llfe 1herefore kldulLhood's vlews and raLlngs may have a poslLlve correlaLlon due Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhey
have used Lhls convenLlon so well
Cne convenLlon LhaL kldulLhood has developed would be crlme and Lhls could be deflned as anoLher sub
caLegory of drama (crlmedrama) kldulLhood has developed Lhls convenLlon because Lhey have used
gangsLers Lo geL young school chlldren lnvolved wlLh Lhelr crlme eLc 1hls ls dlfferenL Lo many oLher
drama fllms because young Leenagers don'L usually Lake parL ln Lhese acLlvlLles durlng school Llme
whlch makes Lhe LargeL audlence more lnLrlgued by kldulLhoods unlqueness
A way LhaL Lhls fllm challenges oLher drama fllms would be LhaL lL uses Lhe vlolence ln a way LhaL oLher
drams haven'L used before and Lhe LargeL audlence and lL may come across as lf Lhey are raLher
surprlsed wlLh all Lhe flghLs LhaL have been lnvolved
ln Lhe openlng Lwo mlnuLes of Lhls fllm we see LhaL mosL of Lhe scene Lakes place ln Lhe playground flrsL
of all we see LhaL Lhe mosL of Lhe school chlldren are belng esLabllshed for example Lhere are long shoLs
of mosL of Lhe school chlldren playlng fooLball Lhen we go on Lo see LhaL Lhere are Lracklng shoLs of Lwo
soclal groups ln Lhe school playground Lhe flrsL one ls Lhe bullles whlch we see Lalklng Lo each oLher
Lhen we see anoLher Lracklng shoL of Lhe 'geeks' who are supposedly meanL Lo flnlsh Lhe 'bullys'
coursework and Lhen we see a convenLlon off lnLlmldaLlon when Lhe 'geeks' say LhaL Lhey havenL
flnlshed Lhelr coursework on Llme
lurLher LhroughouL Lhe scene we see anoLher gang ln Lhe school playground of 'hoodles' and Lhese are
consLanLly looklng around Lhe school playground for flghLs Also we see one of Lhe maln characLers '[ay'
who ls klsslng a glrl up Lhe Lree
1hroughouL Lhls Lwo mlnuLe cllp we have esLabllshed Lhe dlfferenL soclal groups LhaL are parL of Lhls
badly run school and we can lnsLanLly see LhaL Lhls fllm has many convenLlons of a drama fllm