The death of unarmed Black teenager Mike Brown at the hands of police is the sociopolitical background of this coming-of-age documentary about 17-year old Daje Shelton. She wants what countless Hollywood stories tell us young women in America want: good grades, good friends, and the perfect boyfriend. Instead, she runs afoul at her high school, is expelled, and given a last chance to graduate by attending an alternative program at the Innovative Concept Academy. Over the next two years, Daje struggles with typical teen growing pains, falling in love and fighting with mom, but also must increasingly combat the institutional and social roadblocks that keep black teens like her from succeeding in America. Through this intimate, cinematic tale of one teen’s true story, For Akheem offers nuance to her story.

—Cara Cusumano

Directed by

Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest