Julien Neaves, Caribbean Head Writer
Plot: A teenage girl who sells marijuana to survive faces difficult choices.
Review: During a recent interview at the Film and Folklore Festival in Trinidad I mentioned the most important factor in making a film is having a good story and that aspect shines through even with a limited budget. And that is the case with 2021 Jamaican drama short 16 Year Old Hustler! from Ackeen Lawrence and Lux! Entertainment.
In a little over seven minutes the film is able to tell an effective story. The acting by the female lead (her name was not provided) is believable and earnest, making her easy to sympathise with. There are a couple of line flubs, but I suspect that was due to limited takes. The two other cast members, a weed user and the girl’s boss, is solid as well. The plot had a subtle depth which I appreciated. And I enjoyed the visual storytelling in the ending, which says so much by showing so little. 16 Year Old Hustler! may not have the most compelling title and is not the best Caribbean short film I have seen, but I liked it and I believe it is worth watching.
Editor Jules’ Score: 6.5 out of 10
You can watch the film for yourself by clicking here. And you can check out more Caribbean short film content below:
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.