Representation of British Youth – Attack the Block

Trailer
-Hoodies, hats, ethnicity (black) and white youths
-Stereotype
-'Playing FIFA'
-Motobikes
-No drugs..
-Violent if have been attacked, not the insigaters of crime?

How are British youth represented in this film?
Expletives used

Mugging

Knives

Aggressive

Irresponsible

Starting fire (younger kids)

'Weed Room'

Surrrounded by drugs, not taken by any of the gang memebers, been introduced to it by 'block leader'

Rap, joke around, unity

Not concerned about the women and if she dies, takes her with them to keep their friend alive

Government and systems fault

Man gained acceptance into the group through giving 'skins' to a member of the gang

Does this representation conform to the dominant view of youth?
I'm going home and playing FIFA' - stereotype of young male

'Acrions have concequense'

Okay to mug people if they don't live in the area

#Can't help children in britan'

Comparisons to other representations of youth
Not as criminal, threatening or violent as the youths were in Harry Brown

“They’re monsters” – cuts to the kids

“actions have consequences” – girls to the boys

“why can’t help the kids in England?”

Police seen as bad guys when they arrest most

Differs from Harry Brown – no drugs and they’re fighting for a purpose – fighting in retaliation rather than for no reason

Representation of British Youth – Attack the block

Saviours

Still ‘gangsta’ image but in this case it’s a good thing because they have to fight off the monsters

Mixed ethnicity

Similar mise-en-scene

                Bikes

                Clothes

Still got hard man persona

Differs from Harry Brown – no drugs and they’re fighting for a purpose – fighting in retaliation rather than for no reason

How are British youth represented in this film?	Does this representation conform to the dominant view of youth?	How does this compare to other representations of British youth you have seen?
Threatening – early on Watch lady from heir group Surround her Tell her to hand her stuff over Pull out knife Colloquial lang – “merked” “allow it” Violent – have knives, explosives – BUT doing it as a form of response to attack rather than initiating it “It’s not like the kids are scared of them anymore” – (them = police – old woman Young – higher voices – not hit puberty yet White bo –m/c – upper class accent Mistakes – falling off the pizza bike – no texts – not credit – gets blade stuck in wall Lack of reset for authority –even when friend is bleeding and in pain – would prefer to be hard Don’t care whether she lives or dies – only keeping her around bcos friend wants her to help with his wound	Conforming to stereotypes – hierarchy’s No – they seem young and inexperienced rather than threatening  “This ain’t a toy” – gun – know it’s unsafe Girls et angry when they find ou that a knife was used on the woman – concerned Govts view that they’re a waste of space and need to get rid of Gains respect from the group differently – Holding on to the British flag - symbolic	“It’s not like the kids are scared of them anymore” – (them = police – old woman The older members of the “gang” don’t seem as threatening – rap, joke around, happy Nick Frost “They’re quite sweet aren’t they?” after they got excited about seeing the aliens – like children – not threatening One wears glasses – vulnerable - clever

“They’re monsters” – cuts to the kids

“actions have consequences” – girls to the boys

“why can’t help the kids in England?”

Police seen as bad guys when they arrest moses

How are the main characters introduced?
Moses and the rest of the gang -

Thugish, yobs, black/mixed race gang

clothing, hoodies, tracksuit, bandanas- sheilding thier identity, fittinh a criminal stereotype

graffiti

on bikes

covered up

look like stereotypical criminals

knife

language is confrontational

cornered the women, threw her to the floor, scaring and intimidatin innocvent women

stealing, mugging

lack of resepect

entertaining themselves

'undefeatable' - 'their block'#territorial, competitive.. whos block is it?

Woman-

working women

on the phone to her mum, family oriantated

dressed as a normal middle class women

well spoke

no use of colloquial language

Scared of the gang, wants them to be arresseted

How do they change over the rest of the film?
Moses ends up saving the entire block

Gives the women her ring back

Enitally the gang are represented as the monsters, then are replaced with actual monsters

Women at the end saves the gang members