Sony Pictures Classics debuted the official trailer for We Grown Now, the indie drama film starring Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez as best friends Malik and Eric coming of age in the Cabrini-Green housing complex in 1990s Chicago.

Also starring in the film are S. Epatha Merkerson, Avery Holliday, and Ora Jones, along with Lil Rel Howery, Giovani Chambers and Jurnee Smollett.

Release Date

Directed by Minhal Baig, We Grown Now world premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival where it won the Changemaker Award; and opens in theaters on April 19, 2024.

Synopsis

In 1992 Chicago, as Michael Jordan solidifies himself as a champion, a story of two young legends in their own right begins. As wide-eyed and imaginative best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city, looking to escape the mundaneness of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, their unbreakable bond is challenged when tragedy shakes their community just as they are learning to fly.

Reviews

With a 4 1/2 of 5 stars, and hailing it as ‘One Of 2023’s Best’ in their review, Screen Rant wrote, “The portrait of life depicted in We Grown Now is neither a naive fantasy nor a gluttonous vision of poverty. It breathes with an ease that brings us into something very realistic but rarely put to film. The story of people growing up in a dangerous neighborhood is just a backdrop, and what filmmakers choose to put on that stage is what determines how much of their stories are dictated by these circumstances. Baig makes a deliberate effort to stress that these people exist within that setting but have lives filled with joy and wonder. The residents of Cabrini-Green knew life was kicking them in the butt, but they kicked right back.”

Official Trailer

Watch the official trailer for We Grown Now