Navigating Love and Turbulence: The Story of We Grown Now

Explore the emotional journey of raising a Black son in America through the lens of the powerful film “We Grown Now,” as it navigates love, innocence, and the realities of societal turbulence.

Key Points:

  1. Jurnee Smollett stars as a loving mother in the film “We Grown Now.”
  2. The film is set in the 1990s in the Cabrini Green housing complex in Chicago.
  3. Smollett’s character, Dolores, struggles to raise her son, Malik, amidst police brutality and gang violence.
  4. Dolores aims to preserve Malik’s innocence while preparing him for the realities of being a young Black boy in America.
  5. Smollett empathizes with the challenges of raising a Black son.
  6. “We Grown Now” portrays this struggle through the friendship of two young boys, Malik and Eric.
  7. Lil Rel Howery, a Chicago native, praises the film’s authentic depiction of the city and its challenges.
  8. The film resonates with audiences for its portrayal of innocence in Black male friendships.
  9. Smollett draws from her own experiences during the 1992 Los Angeles riots to inform her performance.
  10. “We Grown Now” highlights the psychological challenges Black parents face in raising their children in America.