The film Ish.

 If you want to try and understand the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood and it’s  vicissitudes, then this recently released film Ish is a good place to start. Set in a working class area of Luton, we follow how two close friends experience the various traumas of being black and exposed to racism. It will remind everyone, who sees it of how problematic this transition can be. Nevertheless it has some very good scenes, that encapsulate this dilemma. At one point we see all the boys of the gang on a local bus. Ish is sitting alone and his hitherto best friend, walks straight past him and sits with the other four gang members. It reminded me of the scene in Henry IV, part 1, Act 2 , Scene 4 where Hal rejects his old friend Falstaff - while playing the role of the King says “I do, I will”. It’s an iconic scene and foreshadowing the final denouement of their relationship. When I was a student at the London School of Economics in the early 1970’s one of my favourite topics was Criminology. I had been a policeman in Soho in the early 1960’s - so consequently I was drawn to this particular subject. Moreover the professor had a very high international reputation and I was keen to learn from him. He was Terence Morris. I wrote an essay for my tutor and it was entitled Towards a Typology of Sub-Cultural Vandalism. I got a good mark for it. 

And this film had so many of these stark underpinning sociological issues. The importance of peer group pressure, the bonding by rituals, the importance of bravado and masculinity and the role of delinquency and the racism of the police. In the background we have the important relationship between Ish and his grandmother, which offers him a good role model of love and stability. His father is also supportive and understanding of his transition to manhood. I highly recommend this film if you want to understand the interdependence of friends, family and sociological context. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️.