KICKS REVIEWED
“Kicks” dares to ask people to care about sneaker culture. Young Brandon works his ass off to get a pair of Retro V 1s. He spends a day showing them off around his neighborhood, but he gets his shoes stolen by a dude from Oakland. Brandon enlists his friends to help him gets his shoes back and that’s when our action begins. Each section of the film is divided into chapters headline by a track bumping through the background.
But, that’s not why this film works. The film works because young Brandon is a dreamer that wants to escape his life. Between fantasies about going to space and the desire for solitude, Brandon knows that he has to escape his living situation. The young man isn’t angry, but he knows that things aren’t working. That being said, it’s not like the film addresses that enough. Honestly, it’s a constant battle between style and narrative.
Normally, that would irritate me. But, I’ve seen a number of films walk that line recently and win. While “Kicks” is only going to play the arthouse circuit, I recommend trying to find where it’s playing near you.
FILM STATS
- 1 hr and 20 mins
- R
- Focus World
