Places evoke certain emotions, but even the most rundown, cramped projects feel special when they’re home. We Grown Now is set in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green public housing complex, an area that was notorious for its crime and poverty, but to Malik and Eric, it’s a place where they became friends. The friendship they share leads them to classic coming-of-age moments like skipping school, egging each other to ask their crush out, and having fun, but unlike other coming-of-age films, these moments aren’t as carefree and consequence-less in the place they live in. We Grown Now is a genuine, full picture of growing up in a rough neighborhood, with both the happiness and hardships the place has to offer.
"We Grown Now also houses James’s and Ramirez’s sensitive, compassionate, and fearless performances, and the pair’s efforts are precious."
— Roxana Hadadi
"It’s a film defined by streaks of sunshine and attentive detail to seemingly unremarkable moments of child life."
— Peyton Robinson
In 1992 Chicago, a story of two young legends in their own right begins. As wide-eyed and imaginative best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city, looking to escape the mundaneness of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, their unbreakable bond is challenged when tragedy shakes their community just as they are learning to fly.
Chicago, 1992. Two childhood best friends, Malik and Eric, form an unbreakable bond in the sprawling Cabrini-Green public housing complex, though this bond is challenged when tragedy strikes their community.
Jurnee Smollett is excellent, of course, but it’s newcomers Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez that garners the attention with their natural sense of chemistry that makes their friendship something to root for.
Don't be afraid to fly.
Spirit Awards
3 nominations
