Jahking Guillory (Focus World) Brandon (Jahking Guillory), the central character in Justin Tipping’s debut feature Kicks, has two dreams: one is to soar away from Earth on a spaceship; the other is to find the most stylish way to keep his feet on the ground.
It’s a contradiction with echoes of the universal. Brandon wants to be seen and admired, but he also wants to be left to his own devices. At fifteen, he’s starting to take an interest in sex, romance, drugs, and relationships. He’s also still in the process of figuring out who he is.
His burgeoning sense of self leads to unexpected and violent consequences in Kicks, which marks an eye-catching entrance for Tipping and also suggests areas where the budding filmmaker has room to grow. The script, co-written by Tipping and Joshua Beirne-Golden, relies too heavily on metaphor. Slow-motion footage occasionally undermines the movie’s effect rather than enriching it. But the carefully honed sense of place and the relaxed interplay among the performers make it worth experiencing.
Beset by bullies who pick on him for his diminutive stature, Brandon fantasizes about owning a pair of Air Jordans, only to stumble across a man selling them at a bargain rate out of his van. Soon a group of bullies steals his newfound prized possessions. With help from his friends Rico (Christopher Meyer) and Albert (Christopher Jordan Wallace), Brandon sets off in search of them, eventually putting lives in danger.
Kicks wouldn’t work without a star at its center, and Guillory doesn’t disappoint. He looks so much like Jaden Smith that one of Brandon’s friends says just that to his face at one point. But he brings a depth of feeling and a toughness that’s all his own. Meyer and Wallace provide the comic relief in style. Mahershaha Ali from House of Cards makes an intimidating appearance as Brandon’s hard-scrabble uncle, who unsuccessfully urges Brandon to reconsider his plan.
The movie’s finest asset, though, is its loving but honest depiction of the East Bay neighborhood of Richmond. Tipping’s camera lingers on the spacious parks, ramshackle subway lines and contentious group dynamics of the area. Much of what we see is through Brandon’s eyes: glossy, wistful, run-down. Sometimes the camera lingers for too long, as Tipping slows down the action in an apparent attempt to heighten a sense of imagined spectacle. At its worst, the effect recalls a music video that’s trying too hard.
Tipping’s decision to structure the stories as chapters denoted by title cards with popular rap songs provides an intriguing window into the cultural language of the setting. But as a storytelling technique, the interruptions can feel obvious. Similarly, the frequent appearances of an imaginary astronaut make their point in the first five minutes and become grating as the movie wears on.
With a running time under 90 minutes, Kicks leaves some interesting ideas on the table. Glimpses of Brandon’s romantic travails seem perfunctory, and most of the movie’s women get to do little more than complain when their husbands or boyfriends insult them. Brandon’s parents never appear, which makes the movie feel like a fantasy but also defies logic. Rico and Albert get great mileage out of limited screentime, but their own lives get pushed to the margins.
These are the shortcomings of a first-time director with a scattered vision and a lot of ideas. It’s easy to imagine Tipping refining his approach in future films, and that Kicks could be viewed as a testing ground for what follows. Like Brandon, Tipping is still in the process of finding his identity. Like those kicks, his first attempt has swagger to spare.
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Kicks
Directed by Justin Tipping
Written by Justin Tipping and Joshua Beirne-Golden
With Jahking Guillory, Christopher Meyer, Christopher Jordan Wallace
Rated R for violence, drug/alcohol use and language throughout, and sexual content – involving teens
87 minutes
Opens today at Arclight Bethesda, AMC Hoffman Center, and Landmark Bethesda Row
