Set in East Bay, California, this drama by writer-director Justin Tipping operates on the premise that a cool pair of shoes, or “kicks,” can buy one social influence and respect. A small, bullied 15-year-old (Jahking Guillory) craves this power, so he buys a pair of red-and-black Air Jordan 1’s out of a van (“Shoe game is everything in this world,” the seller confirms), only to have a gang jump him the next day and swipe the shoes. Undeterred, the boy heads to Oakland with his two best friends to track down the top gangster (Kofi Siriboe, excellent) who stole his J’s. Tipping applies a visceral, operatic style to the hero’s journey, using intertitles with the names of rap songs to telegraph the nature of the ensuing action. The motif of a faceless, imaginary spaceman following the boy around is overly precious, but what does work is Tipping’s focus on sensitive boys hardening in reaction to their father figures (or lack thereof).
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