We love, love, love coming-of-age films. They often talk about the complexities of teenage life, like dealing with hormones, struggling to fit in, and of course, kidnap.

The last part may not be your usual teen movie logline. But that’s why Mikhail Red’s “Dead Kids” stands out well enough to be Netflix’s first original Filipino film.

Launching globally next month, the film follows a socially awkward kid who, with a bunch of fellow misfits, kidnaps their school’s rich kid. The story is based on true events from last year when four students from prestigious colleges and universities were arrested for kidnapping a student. During this heist, they demanded a ransom of P30 million in exchange for the victim’s safety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBiGo2A-1Qg&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0v9mt89T_saIZIGBHJFDlLgtZ5S-tcY2gKmW39Dae1H1POpbG2haoVfBo

“For me, ‘Dead Kids’ is a story of young lives running wild yet cut short with their potentials unfulfilled. It is a crime story in the age of social media and a bleak vision of the Filipino youth’s psyche. It is a commentary on the youth’s views on masculinity, morality, and vigilante justice paralleled with today’s political climate. It is both a coming-of-age story and a cautionary tale for the builders of our future,” said Red in a press statement.

The cast is made up of several young actors we’ve come to know and love. “Dead Kids” stars Sue Ramirez, Khalil Ramos, Markus Paterson, Vance Larena, alongside rising young stars Kelvin Miranda, Gabby Padilla, and Jan Silverio. The film is produced by Globe Studios and will launch on Netflix this Dec. 1.

Still from “Dead Kids”