THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS — AND THE KIDS SAY

In a picture-perfect suburb where a secret society is abducting people off the streets while the world turns a blind eye, two neighborhood kids rebel to remove their blindfolds.

The Neighborhood Kids are a revolutionary fusion band from San Diego, California consisting of Verde and Amon the MC incorporating hip-hop, punk, and nu-metal to create hard-hitting anthems calling out various world issues from an Indigenous/Latino perspective. For this project, the duo had a powerful story in mind that complimented their war of words, calling on allies to aid in ending human trafficking and child abuse.

I was honored to get to play with their ideas and fully realize the story as a director, exploring creative ways to best translate the emotions through shot design and colors. We picked out a picture-perfect suburb to evoke a Wes Anderson-esque eutopia where residents turn a blind eye by voluntarily wearing blindfolds as they go about their day meanwhile a darker evil takes place right under their nose. A mysterious secret society is abducting people off the streets and our protagonists have had enough of the nation’s complacency. For our climactic showdown, we bumped thrash metal band Slayer to release the emotions as we purified a collective trauma through art.

Director — Polaris Castillo
Writers — Verde, Amon the MC
Producers — The Neighborhood Kids
Cinematographer — Polaris Castillo
Editor — Polaris Castillo
Special Thanks — Amon the MC, Verde, DJ JG, KODA, Tawny One Love, jonthefunkymonk, Emerson Pacleb, phlowistic, Dizzy Spell, Miguel “Gatoz Locoz”, Dr. Alexis Cardiel, Cor Pallanck, Julia Ochoa, Ryan Adams, Talon Nelson, Waylon Nelson, Nino Amaru, BLK BOX Gallery.

Written by Verde, Amon the MC
Performed by Verde, Amon the MC, DJ JG, Niko Rosy, Gatoz Locoz, Emerson Pacleb
Song Mixed by jonthefunkymonk
Album Cover Art — Rafa Ríos