Homeboys is about the young members of street gangs in Los Angeles. The junior leagues, who are failing in school, dropping out and forming gangs that mimic the activities of the older, more violent and crime related gangs of their brothers.

This is a student film and what makes it different is the way the filmmakers get close to their subjects, concerned enough to get involved in their lives. It has a tone that could sometimes be considered moralistic but which reveals itself to be a genuine concern and understanding of the ground rules.

The territory is the bored, aimless and often violent street life of the young, poor, urban L.A. teenager. It shows the fine line between group identification and blind allegiance, the pressure to conform, and the ease and attraction of slipping into gang life. The boys unconsciously parody their elders, and rehearse the day they will be initiated into the powerful gangs. (GM)