Explicit Ills

The beauty of hope and the power of unity form the foundation of this tale of youthful love, drugs, and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. Seven-year-old Babo suffers from asthma, and lives with his mother in a dangerous section of North Philly. In an attempt to impress a girl who's well out of ...more

Without people, a neighborhood would just be a bunch of buildings. Or so argues Explicit Ills, the directorial debut from actor Mark Webber, which weaves together four residents’ stories in a rough part of Philadelphia. The movie opens with snapshots of abandoned buildings, composed as poetic portraits of urban landscape, but like these exterior shots of the destitute Philadelphia neighborhood, the movie never really invites the viewer inside. The film follows the lives of a drug-dealing white ...more

The beauty of hope and the power of unity form the foundation of this tale of youthful love, drugs, and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. Seven-year-old Babo suffers from asthma, and lives with his mother in a dangerous section of North Philly. In an attempt to impress a girl who's well out of his league, their scheming neighbor Demitri attempts to pass as a brainy bookworm. Meanwhile, as well-off art student Michelle falls into a drug-ridden affair with her dealer, Jacob, Kaleef and Jill ...more