Warren Siwale

How are teenage protagonists represented in Kidulthood (2006) and Brick (2005)? In this essay, I will textually analyse how teenage protagonists are represented in the films Kidulthood (2006) and Brick (2005). Brick is an American neo-noir film which was written and directed by Rian Johnson and also produced by Ram Bergman and Mark G. Mathis. Brick is a film about a teenage student called Brendan Frye and focuses mainly on the kidnapping and murder of Brendans ex girlfriend Emily and how Brendan risks everything to find out why she was kidnapped and killed. Kidulthood is a British crime-drama film directed by Menhaj Huda and produced by Damian Jones, George Isaac and Amir Madani. Kidulthood is a film about a group of teenagers from a varied economic part of West London; however the story mainly focuses on the life of Trevor (sometimes referred to as Trife). Kidulthood follows Levi-Strauss theory binary oppositions where as Brick follows Roland Barthes theory of Enigma, which I will go into more detail. I will begin my analysis with Kidulthood; Trevor is represented as an immature teenager; the film focuses on his journey towards maturity and how he tries to divert from the negative influences of his ruthless drug dealing Uncle Curtis and start a new life with his pregnant girlfriend. The first impression the audience get of Trevor (the protagonist) is that he is involved in an illegal activity; this is shown through the use of mise en scene, a medium shot of his body language makes him look suspicious as he leaves through the backdoor of the workshop, he moves with caution to avoid being seen by anyone and then hides something in the bin (later revealed to be a gun). This portrays to the audience that Trevor is a delinquent and typical lower class black teenager capable of nothing but trouble; this can be linked to Stuart Halls theory of how the line between race and class is often blurred. The props used also emphasize on the negative representation of teenagers as Trevor and his friend are shown smoking in school, this makes the audience feel as though young teenagers are careless and irresponsible. The fact that he is represented in this way is a countertype as protagonists are normally represented in positive way. The shot reverse shot of Trevor and the teacher is used to show both their facial expressions, he looks at the teacher with malice and the teacher looks intimidated by Trevor and immediately looks away, the fact Trevor is black teenage boy conveys to the audience that black boys are often feared by others and that adults are afraid of the youth and can be linked to Levi Strauss theory of binary oppositions (Youth vs. Adults and Black vs. White). Trevor is also represented as careless and emotionless; this is shown through the use of sound, more specifically diegetic dialogue I dashed it innit. This can be linked with Bell Hooks theory of how women are disposable, he speaks of her as if shes an object and refers to her as it.

Warren Siwale Trevors representation then changes when he and his friends are getting bullied by Sam (the antagonist), this is shown through a close up of his facial expression as the audience can see that he cares about his friends. The use of character positioning connotes to the audience that Trevor is weak as he is on the ground with Sam looking down at him. This is a countertype of protagonists as they are usually represented as powerful and in control. A shot reverse shot of Trevor and his uncle in the car shows the type of relationship they have together, Trevor is represented as respectful towards his uncle and even goes as far as to drill a gun for him in school. Trevor again is represented as weak, this is shown through a close up shot of his face when his uncle puts the gun to his throat, this symbolises the ruthlessness of his uncle. The use of semiotics can be seen through use of specific props, the white towel around the gun could represent Trevors innocence and as he removes it, it could mean that he is removing his innocence by giving his uncle the gun. Towards the conclusion of the film, Trevor experiences a dramatic change in his life. He becomes more mature and develops into a more ideal protagonist as he begins to care about his life and wants to help his girlfriend raise their child together. He is represented as caring and mature, which illustrated through diegetic dialogue I know you tried to speak to me earlier and I didnt wanna listen, but I wanna talk to you now this shows the audience that he has grown more mature and wand wants to take responsibility for his actions. When we are first introduced to Brendan, he is represented as a mysterious character; this is shown through the juxtaposition of shots as the first couple of shots dont show Brendans face. The shots go from a close up of his shoes, to a close up of the note in his hand. This gives the audience a sense of Enigma, which is part of Roland Barthes 5 narrative codes. Brendan is also represented as quite emotional, this is shown through the use of cinematography- a close up of his face shows him looking upset, portrays to the audience that he misses Emily (his girlfriend). Brendan is conveyed within this scene as socially awkward. Through the use diegetic dialogue this becomes apparent due to the prolonged pauses between sentences. Furthermore he is seen to be represented as vulnerable and solitary- which was executed via the constant use of wide shots, making the protagonist seem rather petite and fragile. This is again is highlighted by the fact that he is in a phone box. The symbolism behind the phone box connotes to the audience that he is trapped within this tight space with nowhere to go. He is represented as being small due to the fact he is still a teenager and not yet a man so still needs to develop and grow. Brendan is often represented as a loner and never seems to be around people for very long; this is portrayed through the use cinematography, more specifically shots and angles. Most of the shots tend to be long and medium shots which make the audience feel as though he has no one to aid him in his journey. However in the scene Brendan is with Emily, his personality changes due to the

Warren Siwale fact that he is with the girl he loves, this is illustrated through character positioning. A mid shot show him Emily hugging, this connotes the audience that Brendan and Emily have a close relationship. This is further backed up through the use of diegetic dialogue Youre the only thing I love this shows that Emily is the missing piece in his life and has nothing to lose but her. This conforms to the codes and conventions of a drama/social realist film as most protagonists tend to have a lover who changes their lives. As the film goes on Brendan develops more confidence in himself, he slowly becomes more controlling and makes the audience feel his presence, this is shown through a number of different scenes and illustrated through the use of cinematography in the scene where he is speaking to the vice principle. A low angle used to make Brendan seem more powerful than the vice principle. This relates to Levi-Strauss theory of binary oppositions as there seems to be conflict between teenagers and adults. This portrays teenage protagonists as disrespectful and disobedient which is shown through the use of diegetic dialogue as Brendan interrupts the vice principle as he speaks I was done here three months ago! this gives the audience the impression that he doesnt care about what the vice principle has to say and will do what he wants, this essentially represents teenagers as rebellious. However Brendan is also represented as polite and friendly, this shown in the scene where he speaks to the kingpins mum and is portrayed through diegetic dialogue water will be fine maam thanks this shows the audience that teenagers can respectful and polite if necessary. Brendan is represented as careless but also develops more courage and becomes less emotional as the film goes on, this is shown in the scene where a car is moving towards him at a high speed and he stands there staring at it, the juxtaposition of shots used make him seem fearless as the shots switch between a close up of the car and a close up of his face. This makes the audience feel as though Brendan is fearless and has nothing left to lose but his life. This is reinforced by his diegetic dialogue in the scene where he tries to settle a deal between tug and the kingpin Ill take the dose if I die then all is well this emphasizes on the fact that Brendan is a fearless teenager who has nothing more to lose. Trevor and Brendan have many similarities and differences, the most noticeable difference between the two protagonists is that Trevor is more sociable as he tends to be around his friends quite often where as Brendan seems to be alone. Trevor shares a similar personality to Brendan in terms of determination as both teenage protagonists are focused on a particular mission and stick by it. Both protagonists seem to be looked down upon by adults and eventually both put fear into the adults. Brendan and Trevor both have deep feelings towards a specific female which connotes to the audience that teenagers are quite emotional and caring. At points during the narrative of both films the protagonists seem to be represented as weak as they are overpowered by the antagonist which demonstrates that they lack confidence and power. This is a countertype as protagonists are generally represented as confident and powerful. Even though young people could identify with the protagonists, it goes

Warren Siwale against Jacques Lacan theory of the ideal I because neither of the protagonists are inspirational. There is a contrast between the two protagonists as Trevor is a delinquent teenager who develops into a more mature person and realises where his responsibilities lie where as Brendan starts off as a quiet person and becomes a more careless and rebellious teenager. From my analysis, I concluded that teenage protagonists are represented in a negative way due to the Medias interpretation of teenagers. Teenagers are normally represented as being rebellious which is reflected in Kidulthood when Trevor and his friends smoke during school and also in Brick when Brendan refuses to help the vice principle. They are also represented as careless due to the fact both characters put themselves in bad situations which could be life threatening. Despite the fact that teenagers are portrayed in a negative way, they still manage to progress and develop into mature people during the final scenes. This could leave the audience with a more empathetic feeling towards teenagers as they understand life from a teenagers point of view, and the positive ending to both films could give the audience a sense of hope for the future generation.