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Aug 13, 2015 By Cody Ray Shafer Web Exclusive

Prince, the first feature film from Dutch filmmaker Sam de Jong, tells the story of a young man, Ayoub, determined to conquer his sphere of influence, however small it may be. He longs for a better life for himself, but is weighed down by the shadow of his junkie father. Ayoub descends into the darkness by enlisting the help of a crimeboss, Kalpa, to aide in his rise to power, but must confront his real desires to be the man he wants.

Prince may be a little heavy on the style, but it is a contemporary style that lights up the story with energy. Ayoub’s character is at times violent and spiteful, but employs a fearful balance of Machiavellian tactics in his journey. It is hard not to attach such themes of heredity and politics to the film, thanks mostly to its title, but in that lens Prince becomes much more than just a working-class coming of age story, as Ayoub struggles with his father’s reputation and must deal with that legacy while building a sort of kingdom of his own. It isn’t a perfect film by any means, but is notable for its youthful zeal.

PRINCE // PRINS // TRAILER from Paul Ozgur on Vimeo.

Author rating: 6.5/10