Synopsis
Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
Minding the Gap
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Alternative Title
Minding the Gap: An American Skateboarding Story
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Underdogs and coming of age Moving relationship stories surfing, teenager, friendship, kids or adolescents documentary, fascinating, sad, emotional or heartbreaking family, emotional, touching, emotion or kids teenager, school, friendship, funny or nerds teenager, friendship, sad, adolescents or coming of age Show All…
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This is hands down the best documentary I’ve ever seen– and I’ll admit that I don’t watch them frequently, but it’s also one of the best movies I’ve seen in ages, and easily the most affecting film I’ve seen in a long, long time. Bing Liu made a beautiful, sobering Boyhood of his own life, about the trauma we adopt from our parents and our surroundings and how something as small as skateboarding can act as an escape from the pain of an unfulfilling life.
The irony of thinking you have feelings and fears and emotional qualities that are completely unique to you, is that everybody thinks that. And this film is such strong proof that my life and concerns…
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Like most kids of my generation, I tried skateboarding. I had a buddy who had several boards and he always wanted to skate, so when I went over to his house I'd try it. I wasn’t great, but I wasn’t bad, either. Still, it never took the way it does for some kids. I sometimes wondered why.
This movie suggests a reason I had never considered before: I was fortunate enough not to have something to try to escape from. That’s what skateboarding is for these young men. It’s not about tricks or cool sneakers. It’s about feeling, however briefly, like you are free and in control of the world. I’ve never seen that idea conveyed so effectively as it…
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As heartbreaking as it is life-affirming. Made me cry again. Just as struck with how affecting it is to see my own life reflected in these kids as I was the first time. Watched this with a new friend I've been skating with and we talked about how freeing it is to move through the world on wheels; it's not just a sport, it's a miracle. To glide over the ground like a bird– it's an affront to physics, a level of control over natural laws that can be mastered like nothing else. When you're a kid burdened with a lack of that control in every other part of your life, sometimes it's nice to know you can just take flight.
Here's the obligatory part where I mention the extreme thematic similarities of abuse and skating that exist between this movie and I, Tonya. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD now!
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Antithesis to The Work. A discussion of modern masculinity as a conscious and often evolving mode in which to embrace or repel away from. Whether to be proud or afraid of yourself. So pure, so delicate. I hope these boys are okay.
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me: *has never owned a skateboard and never skated in my life*
me after watching mid90s, skate kitchen & minding the gap: hey what’s good bro so are you trying to shred today?!🤪😈🤙💯💯
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I can't even be bitter that the director is so young because this movie is so good
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this hit a little too close to home. grew up in a small town very similar to this one (even smaller, actually) with very little money and a single mom; a lot of my friends were in very similar situations to these kids and somewhere in my old hard drives, when i first got into filmmaking, are very dated skateboard montages we made behind the old rec center, complete with horrifying late-2000s filters and scored to A Day To Remember. bing does a magical thing here by starting filming this before he even knew what he was doing, organically capturing them as friends with a shared passion and time to kill, only ever seeing each other in that kind of…
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“i could be on the verge of a mental breakdown but if i can skate, i’m fine.”
greatest documentary of all time... just wow
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Minding the Gap is an intense roller coaster about way more than just skateboarding. The film explores family, friendship, masculinity and trauma, bringing the audience deep into the lives of the subjects. Director Bing Liu captures how skating, in addition to being fun and challenging, can provide a safe space filled with chosen family. Amazing debut.
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I really hope these young men are doing well today. Keire has a beautiful soul.
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