Hoodlumz

Films have the power to portray the most vivid conditions of the human mind—if the script and writing get it right. There is a tendency for most movies to stigmatise or distort mental health concerns. People who experience mental health issues may end feeling isolated or alienated.

However, some movies could illuminate and educate viewers to help reduce stigma. This is evident in Hoodlumz, a feature film biopic by writer, director, and actor Kameron Hood, who portrays mental health with a human touch. The movie puts the spotlight on a young man named Cody, who makes terrible decisions. After accepting that he suffers from mental health issues, he opens and seeks help from a psychiatrist, explaining his past, and the story unfolds.

Inspired by the author’s shortcomings and struggles, the movie is not afraid to illustrate sensitive themes: single parenting, crime, rehabilitation, and sexual and physical abuse. The film brilliantly tackles mental health and empathises with people in the same situations, that having such conditions does not define them.

Hoodlumz is Kameron’s debut movie, which he hopes would also resonate with people with mental health issues and the general audience.

So beyond the film’s strong mental health message, what’s there to know more? What were the challenges during production, how did Kameron start writing the script, and the other brilliant actors who starred in the biopic?

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