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Sep 06, 2016 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

Pint-size East Bay teen Brandon (Jahking Guillory) cashes out a lifetime’s worth of birthday money to purchase a flashy red pair of Air Jordans from the back of a van. These aren’t just new kicks—not to a soft, timid kid like Brandon—but some much-needed self-worth and more than a fair share of swagger. Before he even has the chance to break them in, though, he’s jumped by a crew from Oakland who make off with his sneakers. The mugging sets him on a dangerous mission to get his shoes back from a violent thug and, vis-à-vis, prove his manhood.

This tightly-wound debut feature from director Justin Tipping depicts its inner-city world with terrifying realism—a place where a pair of stolen shoes can believably lead to exchanges of gunfire. Brandon’s story, though, is told with dreamy flair, and his inner monologue punctuated by a soundtrack that feels like an intimately-curated hip-hop mixtape. Kicks is tense, horrifying and hypnotic: a stunning premiere from a new filmmaking talent to follow.

www.focusfeatures.com/kicks

Author rating: 8/10