Skate Kitchen is a film with a real sense of place. Watching it, I felt like I really had been dropped into the New York City skating scene; a world of independent, talented young people whose passion for skating forms the nucleus of their social groups. Like the characters at its heart, Skate Kitchen is laid back, naturalistic and confident in itself.
Crystal Moselle’s (The Wolfpack) first feature-length narrative picture, Skate Kitchen follows a gifted skater called Camille (Rachelle Vindberg) who, after an accident, decides to search for a new skate park to hang out in. After finding an Instagram group called ‘Skate Kitchen’ she ventures out of her relatively comfortable surroundings into the city proper, where she immediately falls in with a new group of skater friends. As Camille finds her place in their circle, we see her come out of her shell, rediscovering the city she calls home as the warmth of her new friendship group grows.
Moselle blends together styles to create a memorable depiction of the skater subculture. Much of the film is shot in a very naturalistic style, following the girls around the streets and parks as they banter away, almost as if we had been invited into the group ourselves. There are laid back interludes that play almost like music videos which add to the sense of style, and even one or two brief dreamlike sequences that bring to mind the casual reveries of Terrence Malick’s films. Add to that the wonderful skate cinematography by Shabier Kirchner and you have a picture that is infused with style and believability.
But a sense of style will only get you so far on its own, and thankfully Moselle has assembled an impressive young cast which really makes the film work. There are a huge amount of supporting actors, too many to mention here, all of whom add something to the general vibe of the film, but the performances of Nina Moran and Ardelia Lovelace as Kurt and Janay are worthy of mention. All the characters around Camille are confident, totally comfortable in their skins and happy to be who they are – it gives the film a pleasing sense of camaraderie that encapsulates what the film is about: friendship. Yes, it’s also a coming of age story and a number of other things, but Camille’s integration into this group is the heart of Skate Kitchen. Vindberg’s performance in the central role is controlled, and in a different context might have been too passive, but when set against the charismatic backdrop of her new group of friends it works.
You could make the argument that the film indulges in its style a little too much, leaving late-in-the-day dramatic flashpoints feeling a tad undercooked and a little too swiftly resolved. But while there is an element of truth to that, those dramatic elements do at least partially succeed because the portrayal of the friendship group works so well. Similarly, the amount of cutaways to skate tricks and musical interludes perhaps could have been reined in a little in order to free up some more room for the dramatic beats, but it feels picky to highlight flaws in areas that, thanks to their soulful execution, are at least partially responsible for the parts of the film that do work.
Thanks to Moselle’s unfussy direction, which really captures the feeling of drifting along through youthful summer days, and the strong work of the young, mostly little-known cast, Skate Kitchen is certainly worth your time.