Minding the Gap

Holy cow. This was one of my favorite films this year. Director Bing Liu is either a genius or he got really really lucky. The film follows Liu and his friends Keire and Zack as they grow up and become adults. The three friends are bonded by their love of skating. At first it seems like the film will be a documentary about skating and skating culture. But then it morphs into something much more affecting. All three of the young men dealt with some sort of abuse growing up, most often at the hands of their fathers or stepfathers. Liu delves into each experience and how it has lasting effects on their lives. He even makes a rare choice as a documentarian and shows himself on camera as well as his mother. You see Liu trying to make sense of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his stepfather and trying to understand his mother’s choices. It was almost as if the hurt and the pain seeped through the screen and permeated the air around me. Most of the film is shot in Rockford, Illinois which is a city that suffers from high poverty rates as well as high crime rates. Liu captures a lot of police sirens and police cars whizzing by. Inhabiting a tough environment, it’s clear that skating means much more to the friends than just skating. It’s therapeutic and it’s a way for them to escape their lives for a little while. There are so many important themes that are touched on: class, race, abuse, domestic violence, friendship, and toxic masculinity. Bing, Keire, and Zack are incredibly fascinating to watch as their relationship with each other changes and as they learn more about who they are and what they want. I couldn’t stop thinking about this one for a few days after I watched it. It really affected me, and I think everyone needs to see this film.   

Film or Movie: Film
You’ll like this film if:
1. You like documentaries
2. You like skating
3. You want to see a really hard look at how abuse is passed down through generations