“We Grown Now” explores childhood trauma without weaponization

Director Minhal Baig crafts a bittersweet symphony of youthful energy and urban hardship in the 2024 film “We Grown Now.” The movie transports filmgoers to the deteriorating Cabrini-Green housing projects of Chicago in 1992, a fading monolith that houses the vibrant dreams of two best friends, Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez).

“We Grown Now” excels in its understated approach. Cabrini-Green, far from a mere backdrop, evolves into a character itself. The cinematography of the film finds an eccentric beauty in the crumbling concrete and graffiti-laden structures, reflecting the mix of hope and anguish that bleeds into the lives of the characters. Baig skillfully balances childhood vibrancy – bike rides, makeshift games, jumping on furniture and the sweet taste of swiped penny candy while never letting go of the constant danger that their naïveté is disappearing.

Firstly, Baig’s camerawork seizes the essence of boyhood with astonishing…