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Minding the Gap -
As hard as this documentary is to watch at times, the experience is enjoyable overall, especially for how honest and genuine it is. I say this even though there are times when it seems made up for how extraordinary it is that these three pals found each other. Granted, their stories are likely similar to several others given the rough state of their hometown, but it's still miraculous given their shared passion for skateboarding and reasons for looking backward that make it difficult to look forward. As for the reason in Zack's opening line, which details the consequences of having the classic masculine ideal foist upon you, it's no mistake that it kicks off the movie, and his home life is as good a demonstration as any as to why such teachings are hard to shake off. It's painful to listen to the recording of his argument with ex-girlfriend Nina in particular, especially since he may not know another way to handle such a situation as a result of these teachings. The friends' accounts of being abused are no less easy to take, especially since they are convincing that they have coped with it at one moment but indicate that they'll struggle with it for the rest of their lives the next.
There are also the ways the documentary conveys the difficulty of having to grow up in a city with few opportunities and that is riddled with crime like Rockford, whether it's the repeated footage of decaying buildings, the empty streets or that being swindled such as in the case of the skate park fiasco is the norm rather than the exception. I also found Bing and Keire's accounts of treating their minority status as a badge of honor fascinating, especially for how Keire explains that being black lets him continuously prove everyone wrong. The documentary ends up being less about skateboarding than its thrilling opening scene implies, but it succeeds at stressing the importance of finding something that provides release and makes you feel free in such dire situations, and it thus made me think about how I do the same whenever I struggle. It ends up being a complete portrait of a generation who have learned the hard way that what paid off for preceding ones won't necessarily pay off for them. Thankfully, as evidenced by the epilogue that shows that things are getting better for all of them, it's a situation that can be survived.
As hard as this documentary is to watch at times, the experience is enjoyable overall, especially for how honest and genuine it is. I say this even though there are times when it seems made up for how extraordinary it is that these three pals found each other. Granted, their stories are likely similar to several others given the rough state of their hometown, but it's still miraculous given their shared passion for skateboarding and reasons for looking backward that make it difficult to look forward. As for the reason in Zack's opening line, which details the consequences of having the classic masculine ideal foist upon you, it's no mistake that it kicks off the movie, and his home life is as good a demonstration as any as to why such teachings are hard to shake off. It's painful to listen to the recording of his argument with ex-girlfriend Nina in particular, especially since he may not know another way to handle such a situation as a result of these teachings. The friends' accounts of being abused are no less easy to take, especially since they are convincing that they have coped with it at one moment but indicate that they'll struggle with it for the rest of their lives the next.
There are also the ways the documentary conveys the difficulty of having to grow up in a city with few opportunities and that is riddled with crime like Rockford, whether it's the repeated footage of decaying buildings, the empty streets or that being swindled such as in the case of the skate park fiasco is the norm rather than the exception. I also found Bing and Keire's accounts of treating their minority status as a badge of honor fascinating, especially for how Keire explains that being black lets him continuously prove everyone wrong. The documentary ends up being less about skateboarding than its thrilling opening scene implies, but it succeeds at stressing the importance of finding something that provides release and makes you feel free in such dire situations, and it thus made me think about how I do the same whenever I struggle. It ends up being a complete portrait of a generation who have learned the hard way that what paid off for preceding ones won't necessarily pay off for them. Thankfully, as evidenced by the epilogue that shows that things are getting better for all of them, it's a situation that can be survived.