Written by: Justin Tipping & Joshua Beirne-Golden
Starring: Jahking Guillory, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Christopher Meyer, Mahershala Ali
Rating: [4/5]
Shoes carry a certain value similar to currency socially in certain communities, as they display a level of wealth and achievement that may defy reality. Whether it aligns with reality does not diminish the lengths some will go towards in order to maintain the status that comes with it even if it comes to violence. Kicks looks at this particular fixation within an urban community and the lengths a teenager will go to get a pair of shoes back.
Not having any luck with the ladies or in any other social facet, Brandon (Jahking Guillory) desperately wants to get a pair of high-end Nike’s that will impress everyone. He takes on these odd jobs and finally can afford a pair for $150. When a gang member jumps him and steals his shoes, he becomes resolute in getting them back, despite the warnings of his friends and family.
While never having a distinct attachment to shoes and the value they carry, there are certainly bubbles out there where it means everything. I saw that first hand with my cousins who would own tens of boxes of shoes, wait in line for the latest drop, and at times not even wear them. They became more than their original purpose of something to cover one’s feet and has evolved to something else entirely. We see this with Brandon where the kid would be willing to put himself in the firing line of a literal gangster in order to retrieve them making for a dangerous trek ahead for the kid.
For as much as anyone outside of the bubble would not understand this line of thinking, we can go into large sociological studies about this phenomenon that this review does not seek to delve into. However, the proof is in the pudding where we see the positive attention he receives from his friends and the girls his age, where before they did not give him the time of day but now offer to hang out with him. The fact this all changes because he dons some new shoes makes little to no sense from the outside but given what these shoes represent in the community it comes together so much to the degree Brandon later gets robbed because of it.
As Brandon goes down this dark path of looking for vengeance and a return of his shoes, we see this descent into something everyone around him wants to avoid but nothing will sway him. His friends plead him not to continue but the most meaningful conversation comes from his conversation with his uncle Marlon played by Mahershala Ali. With him being the sole reason why I sought out this film, with minimal screen time he makes the most of it. The conversations Brandon has with Marlon strips away this false sense of bravado the teenager has as Marlon gives it to him straight. In fact, Marlon is the one who provides Brandon with a gun to carry out the deed if necessary. Ali brings a similar aura and demeanor, although harsher, to what he does in Moonlight as Marlon as someone who has made his fair share of mistakes and would hate his nephew to do the same. His perspective displays the silliness of this whole situation, especially as someone who has gone to jail.
Mixed in this difficult journey in trying to reclaim what belongs to him, co-writer and director Justin Tipping adds a bit of magical realism with the connection Brandon has with wishing to be an astronaut who can leave this all and go up to space. This astronaut makes its way into the narrative in the mind of Brandon on more than one occasion. Certainly this astronaut represents many ideas in the life of Brandon in combining both the isolation of trekking up in space matches what he feels down on Earth but still manages to serve as an option Brandon would like to take up because of the lack of connection he has with his community. It solidifies what makes him so desperate to reobtain these shoes, even if it could feasibly lose his life in the process. These little touches add to the drama and allow us to begin to understand Brandon’s line of thinking even more.
A promising feature film debut by Justin Tipping and a decent acting job by Jahking Guillory, who steps in as the smaller Brandon as he brings the necessary ferocity to the role. Through this film we get an introspection into a community that puts plenty of value in an item others, like myself, do not give a second thought but it ensures we buy into this belief system through Brandon and the other characters involved. Truly a little underseen gem that I hope someday gets the attention and appreciation it deserves.
Films with Josh 
