The Big Picture

Young. Wild. Free.
is a star-crossed lovers’ story about a teenager supporting his family and meeting a reckless girl.
The film addresses mental health issues, personal struggles, and the importance of understanding oneself.
The unique storytelling and cinematography make
Young. Wild. Free
. a fresh and beautiful watch.

When it comes to storytelling, tales about young star-crossed lovers have been common throughout centuries. From Romeo & Juliet to Bonnie & Clyde, the combination of youth, folly, and dangerous mistakes is something everyone can connect with in one way or another. Young. Wild. Free. falls into the realm of this kind of storytelling.

The new film, directed by newcomer Thembi Banks, follows the story of Brandon Huffman, played by Algee Smith. Brandon is a teenager in high school who is doing what he can to support his mother and siblings. His mother, Janice Huffman, portrayed by Sanaa Lathan, is a single mother who has bipolar disorder and struggles with staying on her medication while working to support her family. Things are not easy for the family, as Algee’s younger siblings’ father is involved in the unsavory side of life in Compton.

Brandon’s life is immediately changed when he meets Cassidy, played by Sierra Capri. Cassidy is a mercurial yet captivating girl his age who holds him at gunpoint during their first encounter at the corner store. She winds up stealing his heart rather than his money, and her reckless, carefree nature takes them down a dangerous path. Collider had the opportunity to speak with Algee, Sanaa, and Sierra about the film, as well as what is at the heart of Young. Wild. Free.’s story.

The Characters In ‘Young. Wild. Free.’ Are Driven By Their Personal Struggles
Image via BET+

While basic framework of Young. Wild. Free.is the classic star-crossed lovers tale, there is a lot more that is at the heart of this particular film. When asked about what drew them to the project, Sanaa’s response definitely related to her character, Janice. “One of the things I was drawn to in the script is that… [it is] showing a different side of mental health issues that [are] all around us,” Sanaa shared during the interview. She added, “And [Janice is] going through a lot. Black women in America, we know what that is.”

Algee had his own perspective, being the person portraying the protagonist of this particular story. Brandon falls fast for Cassidy, and she has him do things both good and bad that he never would have done prior to meeting her, which the actor commented on. Algee said, “I think that, for me, the aspect was the element of being unsure in life because then he gets to be taken on this journey where a lot of things don’t have a surety to them, you know?” He continued, saying, “So it was important for me to sit in that. To be able to be taken on that journey by Cassidy… and him doing all these things with this person that helped him realize, ‘This is a part of me, [this is] what this feels like.’”

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As the chaotic force in the film, Sierra is approached as a character who is as unsure as Brandon but uses her love of danger to handle it. “I think that [Cassidy] definitely had no boundaries, and her being fearless, I think, led her into many situations,” Sierra said of her character. In Brandon’s eyes, initially, Cassidy seems to understand herself completely, but that veneer peels away as the story progresses. She added, “Throughout the story, she decides to bring Brandon into her world of unpredictability and not really being grounded in who she… in a way, her meeting Brandon also helps her deal with that.”

Difficult Facets of Humanity Lie At the Heart of ‘Young. Wild. Free.’

BET has created a brand of scripted storytelling over the past decade that follows a fairly general way of storytelling. Young. Wild. Free. sheds this standard of style and brings a different aesthetic style to the network. Thembi’s directorial storytelling perspective combined with Cary Lalonde’s cinematography makes for a beautiful watch of this star-crossed lover story. These elements help uplift what is at the heart of this story, which its lead actors each see in their own way.

“I love how there’s elements that are familiar with this in the story, but it’s completely fresh the way that it’s told,” Sanaa said when asked about what she feels is at the heart of Young. Wild. Free.’s story. She added, “When you see it, it’s actually shot so beautifully and artistically. score is beautiful, and so for me, it’s just it was it was a moving story that I hadn’t seen before.”

Sierra’s view of the film has a much broader meaning at its heart. She said, “The story that it tells and touching on mental health issues and things that… we as a people and within our culture can relate to on many different levels.” Her point is incredibly relevant; mental health care is still a tough topic to address within the Black community despite the major strides made within the past decade. She added, “I think that we all conveyed what we wanted to. And hopefully, someone will get inspired by what we created.”

To hear more about the new film, check out the full interview with Collider, above. The film can be streamed on BET+.

Stream on BET+