We Grown Now

This is a sleeper, is a story of childhood, of best friends, of family, of history, of life, of circumstances, of inequality, of color, of what it is to be real people, real good people, the best and the brightest, of struggle, of survival, of success, of meaning, of growing up, of innocence, of happiness, sadness and of sheer joy, the young actors are great!, their display of emotions is remarkable, pure, there is nothing to not like about this movie, it's about bringing out the best in us despite what life may bring, it's about hope, about the simple dignity of who we are as people, Eric and Malik exist!, WE EXIST!

Writer-director Minhal Baig has made this unexpectedly lyrical, heartfelt 2023 film set against a real-life tragedy that occurred in Chicago's ravaged Cabrini Green housing projects in 1992, the killing of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis amid rising gang violence and brutality from the Chicago police. Focusing her story on two ten-year-olds, best friends who depend on each other for survival, Baig draws out deeply affecting work from Gian Knight Ramirez as Eric and especially wide-eyed Blake Cameron James as Malik. It's their coming-of-age story that makes the surrounding plotlines and performances resonate. Jurnee Smollett plays Malik's hardworking mother with assurance even as her character sometimes comes across as a stereotypical trope. As the wise grandmother who brought them to Cabrini Green when it held more promise, S. Epatha Merkerson makes remarkable her few scenes. I only wish Eric's backstory was given as much depth as Malik's, though the inevitable upheaval the boys face still packs an emotional wallop.

A PG movie focused on kids, but for audiences of all ages.

A story of two boys in Cabrini Green during 1992. Their lives aren't plagued by a ghost named Candyman, since there's plenty of real problems around. Their innocent minds don't let them see how dangerous their world is.

I think it captured the 90's enough, but some things felt very current day. The parents in both families choose not to hit their kids. Most kids are never that lucky, and definitely not back in 1992. I'm white for reference, and I was born a year after the film is set, but hitting used to be even more common than it secretly is now. I know it was even worse for black kids, based on stories at school. I get why the film wanted to push that though. Sorry that part just bothered me.

Overall it's a good story though. Kids are kids anywhere.

This movie feels like it is not really going anywhere. The plot does not seem to progress. Maybe that's the point. Maybe we're supposed to feel like we too are trapped in the Cabrini-Green housing projects of Chicago. I watched this movie thinking the whole time, maybe I should move onto something else. But I never did. It just kinda sucks you in even though you feel like you want to leave, you don't. Maybe that's what it feels like to live in these high rise apartments that engulf your life. At the end, I don't know what to feel.

If you are tired of the same old movie over and over, give this one a try. It's not the best movie you'll ever see, but you'll be impacted.

Same old story people who can afford to take our stories and we can only watch or play sambo I'm not into this we need more African American to tell these stories who actually lived this experience we need reparations caprini green affected African Americans and we were never repaired only torn down and victimized and now as usual stolen from. The movie displayed a lot of history of friendships a lot of footage to appear real like the community used to look I did not notice the street name given (symbolic)!for the child who lost his life. I hope and prayers that reparations are paid to my people now before our race and culture is totally erased and stolen.