AN INDEPENDENT CRIME DRAMA / 2018

Six lives. One small town. No easy way out.

In a town divided by race and circumstance, friendship, love and ambition collide. Discover the film inspired by real events.

Watch the trailerExplore the story
Savage Youth original promotional artwork: silhouettes above a small-town neighborhood
Original film artwork Savage Youth (2018)
YEAR2018
GENRECrime / Drama
RUNTIME100 min
DIRECTORMichael Curtis Johnson

01 / THE STORY

A coming-of-age story without a safety net.

In Savage Youth, the promise of youth meets the realities of a fractured American town.

Elena, an impressionable young woman, becomes involved with Jason, an aspiring rapper trying to find his voice. Gabe, a young man seeking a way forward, begins dealing drugs. As Elena's relationship with Jason grows unstable, a friendship with Gabe draws these lives into the same increasingly dangerous orbit.

Written and directed by Michael Curtis Johnson, the 2018 film combines intimate character drama with a crime story shaped by jealousy, social division and choices that cannot be undone. It takes inspiration from real events without claiming to recreate them scene by scene.

Read the story and background
Two young people sit together in a car in a scene from the Savage Youth trailer
From the original trailer · A story of intertwined lives

02 / THE FILM'S WORLD

More than a
crime story.

The drama is grounded in the pressures that shape the characters before its most consequential moments arrive.

01

Belonging

Friendship, romance and the desire to be seen give every relationship emotional weight.

02

Division

Race, class and limited opportunities are part of the environment the characters navigate.

03

Consequence

Small decisions and mounting resentment propel the story toward a devastating turn.

03 / WATCH

Step inside
the film.

Play the trailer included in the original website archive, right here. No third-party embed required.

TRAILER · 1 MIN 58 SECLocal MP4 · Sound available using player controls

AFTER THE TRAILER

Want to see the whole film?

Explore the film listing on Apple TV. Streaming or rental availability depends on your region.

View on Apple TV

04 / THE PEOPLE

Faces behind
the fallout.

Grace Victoria Cox, Tequan Richmond and Will Brittain lead an ensemble built around characters whose stories collide.

Meet the cast and crew
01Grace Victoria CoxElena
02Tequan RichmondGabe
03Will BrittainJason