"Gettin' Grown"... Directed by University of Alabama Professor Aaron Greer, shot in his native Milwaukee, "Gettin' Grown" is not only a logistically simple and involving story, but also an honest allegory for childhood; or rather, the end of childhood. It chronicles the journey of young Eric, the day before his twelfth birthday. He has been sent across town to fill a prescription for his grandmother, and along the way, he encounters the pratfalls and temptations of urban life and community. The film never exploits or overexposes, but rather shows urban life at face value. Eric's choices are broad strokes of everyday life; the burden of community care, prioritizing family and society, and most of all, economy. Fulfilling economical cycles is the main tenant of adulthood in the world of "Gettin' Grown": that is, once the idea of limited resources is realized, one's ability to grow manifests itself completely.
The acting Greer pulls out of his cast is extremely natural and organic, and his allowance of improvisation perfectly suits the mood and ambiance of Eric's universe. Coupled with this improvisational dialogue comes improvisational cinematography. Like Spielberg's "War Of The Worlds" and Joe Carnaharn's "Narc", the ever-nervous, ever eye-level documentarian's camera makes the world of the film fully realized and organic. We never doubt for a second that there is a fully fleshed-out universe outside edges of the frame.
The overwhelming element of "Gettin' Grown" is maturity; never do emotions or situations become overblown or unnatural. Greer uses restraint and emotional steadiness as intelligently as the most detached European directors. His film is the perfect example of a piece that is accessible to both children and adults, on simultaneously similar and different levels.
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