Prince

Prince is a 2015 Dutch film directed by Sam de Jong that expertly fuses the elements of crime and coming-of-age genres to create an engaging, insightful, and ultimately poignant commentary on adolescence and ambition. The film stars a cast of young actors, featuring Ayoub Elasri in the lead, supported by Jorik Scholten and Achraf Meziani amongst others.

The film is set against the backdrop of a grim and ungentrified Amsterdam suburb replete with rundown quarters, which serves not only as a physical location but also functions as a stark reflection of the bleak lives and aspirations of the characters living there.

Prince shines a spotlight on Ayoub, a 17-year-old Moroccan-Dutch teenager portrayed by Ayoub Elasri, who finds himself divided between his responsibilities towards his dysfunctional family and his own desires. What distinguishes Ayoub from many other teenage characters is the depth of his responsibility. As the oldest amongst his siblings, he is expected to care for his family, particularly his drug-addicted father while also dealing with regular teenage angst and ambitions. His mother seems to juggle multiple jobs to make ends meet, and Ayoub takes it upon himself to protect his half-sister Demi from their father’s erratic behavior.

Outside home, Ayoub spends time with his friends, chiefly Jorik Scholten and Achraf Meziani, wandering aimlessly through their neighborhood, occasionally getting into fights and skirmishes with other gangs. In these endeavors, he is often overshadowed by his friend Franky, played by Jorik Scholten, whose physical prowess and fearlessness accentuates Ayoub's own insecurity and desire for power and respect.

Ayoub's life takes a significant turn when he meets Kalpa, an affluent and criminally inclined character, played with chilling charisma by Freddy Tratlehner, who embodies everything Ayoub aspires to be. Kalpa is fierce, financially well-off, and most importantly, feared by everyone around him. Amidst Kalpa's flamboyant and fearless persona, Ayoub finds a source of inspiration and an opportunity—to not just be someone in control but to also win the affections of the stylish and desirable Laura.

The film beautifully captures Ayoub's infatuation with Laura, played by Olivia Lonsdale, who remains an unattainable dream-girl figure for Ayoub. Their budding relationship is mirrored with artistic dream-like sequences which provide rare moments of tenderness and agenda-less joy to Ayoub's otherwise challenging life.

While the relationship dynamics and character development form the heart of this movie, Prince also scores excellently on the technical front. Director Sam De Jong uses a vibrant color palette that exemplifies the sense of adventure and danger Ayoub experiences as he becomes more involved with Kalpa. The cinematography is stellar, magnifying the grit and grime of the surroundings, and the nerve-racking suspense of Ayoub's voyage into the murky world of crime without losing sight of his youthfulness and vulnerability.

Director de Jong has not shied away from experimenting with form and style, including the use of animations and neon-tinted dream sequences that aesthetically elevate the narrative. The soundtrack finely suits the tone of the film, with a mix of electronic and hip-hop music that is thematically tied to the characters and their environment.

In a nutshell, Prince offers an immersive, eloquent, and relatable examination of a teenager's journey as he navigates the tricky territories of adolescence and masculinity. While it's a story set in a different culture, it has universal appeal owing to its insightful exploration of the human condition. Sure, it's a film about a young boy's journey into manhood, but it's also about the greater socioeconomic frameworks within which he exists.

Despite the bleak reality of its setting, Prince remains hopeful, visualizing a world where one's dreams are not stifled by their circumstances but are instead, fuelled by them. It's raw yet sensitive, gritty yet poetic, and teaches us that amidst hardship and poverty, there can still be the radiance of dreams, love, and hope.