Young. Wild. Free. is a 2023 American drama film written byJuel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, directed byThembi Banks and starringAlgee Smith. It is Banks' feature directorial debut.[1][2][3]
A teenager struggling to provide for his younger siblings in Compton finds his life turned upside down when he's held at gunpoint by the girl of his dreams.
According to Banks, the first day of filming occurred on March 11, 2020 and then filming was halted due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[4] In August 2022, it was reported that production on the film was underway in Los Angeles.[5]
The film has a 67% rating onRotten Tomatoes based on fifteen reviews.[9]
Tomris Laffly ofVariety gave the film a negative review and wrote, "An Uncertain Script Saddles a Stylish Coming-of-Age Movie Full of Los Angeles Love."[10]
Esther Zuckerman ofIndieWire graded the film a C− and wrote, "Trust me, you’ve heard this one before."[11]
Patrice Witherspoon ofScreen Rant awarded the film four stars out of five.[6]
