One of the themes explored in “Kicks” is the lethality of material possessions, and for stars Christopher Jordan Wallace, Christopher Meyer and Jahking Guillory, the movie hits a little too close to home.
“This is happening every day, people are getting beat up, killed over materialistic things,” Guillory said in a recent interview with TheWrap. “My friend got stabbed 17 times over his backpack. This is happening every day, so I hope this movie opens up a lot of eyes. It’s not just over kicks, it’s about so much more.”
“Kicks” is about 15-year-old Brandon (Guillory), whose dream it is to own a pair of Air Jordans. When he gets them, they are stolen by a local hood, so Brandon and his two friends go on a mission through Oakland to get them back.
Meyer added that he hopes that this film will inspire people and show that more “young black men and women can lead in these big blockbuster films.”
“To me, when I watched it and when we made it, we made it with a lot of love, with a lot of joy, and I want people to be inspired to make dope stuff like this,” Meyer said. “And also be aware that young black men and women can lead in these big blockbuster movies and continue this wave.”
“Kicks,” directed by Justin Tipping, opens in theaters on September 9.
Watch the video above.