iLL Manors and Collective Identity

In your opinion, how does the representation of youth in 'iLL Manors' affect the collective identity of British youth?

I personally think that the representation of youth in iLL Manors has affected the collective identity of British Youth in multiple ways, but mainly negatively. Ben Drew's honest story-telling can be seen through the hard-hitting style of directing, and the fact that many of the movie's scenes were inspired by his own experiences, makes audiences empathise with the characters but also with Forest Gate's inhabitants. However, it could also reinforce young people's negative stereotypes. Indeed, the prominence of violent and controversial aspects such as prostitution and shootings, can alert some people to stay away from the perpetrators, which in this case are the British Youth. Ben Drew said "I believe that there is a demonisation of the youth throughout the media. And people are falling for it" which signifies that many media platforms focus much more on the negativity of British Youth instead of sending out a realistic image of them, which makes them "alienated" but also creates pre-conceived stereotypes on them. The film does not only focus on negative aspects however, especially with the character named Aaron, who shows some morals and saves a baby left by his mother on a train. That particular act demonstrates that not all British youths are violent or ill-mannered. Also, the fact that Aaron features on the film cover, might signify that his character is the most important in the film as he goes against today's stereotypes of youths and embodies a more positive perception. However, some characters were subject of controversy, notably all female characters. Penny Wedlock, who is a film and documentary director, said: "I also had some difficulty with the way that all of the female characters are crack whores and victims. In my experience it's not really like that. There are a lot of powerful, mouthy, confident women in these communities. There are also a lot of women who are sole parents who really do try their best." All women in the film are involved in some kind of tragedy, which might reinforce stereotypes such as trouble-makers. Another quotation which is significant is"Most people in east London feel completely disconnected from the Olympics. They don't feel any of the wealth generated will be fed back in to the community in a way that will affect them" by Bola Agbaje. Even though the Olympic Park was close to Forest Gate, the money generated by the event has not been used to improve the inhabitants' conditions, which reinforces the "alienation" feeling of British Youths. Ben Drew also made a comment on the British Youths' situation in the society: "I think the reason why we didn't have respect for authority was that we felt that we were ignored by society, that we didn't belong to it". That can also be demonstrated through iLL Manors, with the almost non-existence of police forces, which amplifies the degree of crimes of all sorts within the area. Therefore, I personally think that iLL Manors reinforces the negative stereotypes of British Youths to a certain extent, due to Ben Dew's mediocre attempt to incorporate a more balanced view on them. Aaron's heroic acts were out-shined by the other characters' violent and controversial acts, which did not help in helping break the stereotypes.