‘Kicks’ Trailer: How Far Would You Go To Get Your Shoes Back?
For some people, a pair of shoes is just a piece of clothing that serves a practical function. For others, shoes mean so much more; they’re a status symbol, but that means they can also get you killed. So the question is, how far would someone go just to get pair of shoes back? For the young man at the center of the movieKicks, he’s sick of being pushed around, and getting his shoes back will mean much more than having some slick sneakers on his feet again.
Watch theKickstrailer after the jump to see what we’re talking about.
As I was watching this trailer, I couldn’t help but be reminded ofThe Bicycle Thief, and it turns out that’s intentional. DirectorJustin Tippingreveals that he took inspiration from some very iconic foreign films. Here’s what the director toldFilmmaker Magazine(viaThe Film Stage):
In terms of deciding what story to tell,The Bicycle Thiefgot me thinking how much this one object can mean to someone, how it can have all this emotional weight. When developing the idea ofKicks, I was definitely referencing that. It kind of gave an emotional structure to it. Then I was also watching Fellini films and the dream sequences in8 1/2, which I referenced with the astronaut sequences inKicks.
Basically, this movie isDopeby way ofThe Bicycle Thief, and it looks like a very promising directorial debut for Tipping, even with a cast of mostly unknowns that includesJahking Guillory, Christopher Meyer, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Kofi Siriboe, andMahershala Ali.
Boasting a strong ensemble cast and featuring a memorable lead performance by newcomer Jahking Guillory, the film transcends a deceptively traditional hero’s journey to deliver an entertaining and sobering look at the realities of inner-city life, the concept of manhood and the fetishization of sneaker culture. Visually and thematically rich, with an amazing soundtrack of both hip-hop classics and Bay Area favorites, Kicks creates an authentic and original portrait of a young man drowning in the expectations of machismo.
