Sodiq (2013) Online

This film comes from a place of such obvious affection for the community in which the director grew up, and the people are the members of that community that despite the tragedy that pervades the story - and so many like it - it pulses with hope. Particularly fascinating are the startling incongruities that structure these young boys life: children who are adults before their time in some respects, yet have never ventured beyond the borders of their estates, trembling when they manage to transcend the invisible lines; gifted, intelligent and articulate - the eponymous Sodiq was accepted at Kings College to do Medicine and Pharmacy - yet too often drawn into criminal activity and 'deviant' behaviour. And it is here that the film stands head and shoulders above so much of the other stuff we see about the streets/roads - these are deeply complicated boys from deeply complex backgrounds, prone to all the failings of all people - the tragedy is in just how bad the consequences are when they do fail.

The mother (Remi) is a film unto herself - when she calls on God, and continues to sing his praises on her way to court, Adeyemi captures something so painful, and so ironic - it is after her songs to an 'all merciful God that the film announces its shocking, hopeless denouement - that your heart cannot fail to break.

A deep, powerful and important film that should be seen by anyone with an interest in south east London, issues of race and youth, and the real challenges faced - and tragedies suffered - by certain sections of our community.