We Grown Now

Chicago’s Cabrini-Green houses have been the setting of such great works of cinema as “Cooley High” and “Candyman.” Now let writer/director Minhal Baig (“Hala”) take you back to 1992 to behold the last days of the public housing project through the trials and tribulations of 12-year-old best friends Malik and Eric. With standout performances from newcomers Blake Cameron James, Gian Knight Ramirez, Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) and S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order).In 1992 Chicago, inseparable friends Malik and Eric spend their time swapping jokes, debating the Bulls bench, and letting their imaginations soar. They’re kids, after all, equipped with a universal innocence that childhood warrants, regardless of where they call home. As neighbors in the city’s Cabrini-Green public housing development, the boys feel firmly connected by a sense of place, despite their cramped apartments and leaky faucets. But when a tragedy hits too close to home and palpable danger looms in the streets, the best friends face a challenging new chapter of what the future may hold for their families. An endearing depiction of true-blue childhood friendship and a tender love letter to the city of Chicago, WE GROWN NOW is a beautiful portrait of kids making sense of a messy world from their purview—and the best friends who change them forever. —A.B.