By John Corrado

In We Grown Now, writer-director Minhal Haig offers a vivid portrait of childhood and growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects circa 1992.

Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) are two young Black boys who are best friends. They hang out together in an abandoned unit, and the film opens with them dragging an old mattress into the street. It’s a rite of passage to “jump,” i.e., taking a flying leap onto a pile of mattresses set up on the concrete.

Malik lives with his single mother (Jurnee Smollett) and grandma (S. Epatha Merkerson), who are originally from Mississippi. Eric lives with his single dad (Lil Rel Howery, wonderful in a dramatic role), but is often over at Malik’s apartment. The two boys are inseparable. But when a tragedy happens in the community, they are warned to stay inside.

It’s an event that not only forces the boys to confront mature emotions, but also alters the course of their friendship. In her third feature, Haig presents herself as a promising new voice, establishing a distinct style. The film feels influenced by the work of Barry Jenkins, but also by Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco, with a sense of lyricism to it. Her sensitive direction also guides the natural performances of her young cast.

Cinematographer Patrick Scola shoots the hell out of the film, including smooth panning shots and unique camera angles. These framing choices add an almost magical realist quality to the film; in one sequence, the boys sneak away to the Art Institute, where all of the adults appear to stand still. Jay Wadley’s lovely, at times mournful jazz score provides fitting accompaniment.

The film serves as a sort of eulogy for the now-demolished Cabrini-Green and the people who lived there, showing how this housing complex is the whole world to these boys. We Grown Now might be a small film with a somewhat simple narrative, but it’s one that indelibly captures little moments from a child’s eye view, building to an emotionally resonant coda.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

We Grown Now opens exclusively in theatres in limited release on May 10th. It’s being distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media.