Brock Neal Roberts directs a chilling black comedy about urban youth in his latest collaboration with Jeshi.The video for Generation, the rapper's pin-sharp critique of a troubled society, explores the complex issues facing the youth of today - from drugs to violence to an unhealthy reliance on digital technology - cleverly encapsulated in a fly-on-the-wall aesthetic. From a vantage point high above the ground, the camera settles on a series of unfolding narratives, before quickly panning away and seeking out the next moment, involving one or more early-teen boy engaged in activities more usually associated with young men, or to Jeshi himself as on-the-spot commentator.The concept is lived out by a group of young boys, who light cigarettes for strangers, throw rocks at takeaway food delivery riders and ignore parents whilst engrossed in their phones.The cyclical nature of the concept is cleverly rounded off in the end scene, where the boys begin to throw rocks at a random neighbour's house, and the perspective switches from third person to first person, proving that we aren't only witnesses to the problems facing society, but very much a part of the tapestry.
Rob Ulitski - 6th Dec 2021