Film No. 52 (2024) August 8th. 2:45 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Keep doing what you are doing. Stay on that skateboard. Don't let nothing distract you" (Leandre's mother reflects on the words she alleges she said to her son as a teenager).
WINNER: GIO Audience Award (Van Alpert) Sydney FF.
Will we ever tire of the lift films like SKATEGOAT give to our awe the human spirit and how adversity can be conquered against all odds? No, no way. Documentaries like this reinvigorate our trust in people.
HOOP DREAMS is a better film than SKATEGOAT. The themes for both are aligned. Here film maker Van Alpert happened upon two wild children, Poppy and Leandre Sanders of Venice L.A., 15 years ago and gave them cameras and Go Pros to record their existence. SKATEGOAT is the product of Alpert's experiment. Leandre, and the life he chooses, soon becomes the focus. Skateboarding unleashes the power for living an exhilarating life, for this young man. It's a film for all, but skaters won't be missing the origins of this You Tube hero (The Man With No Stance).
Is Alpert's film best described as an unpolished diamond? Maybe. A non intrusive narration may have helped to tie this human story more tightly together. I'd loved to have learned more of the two caring women who appeared in his life, by chance. Each were like angels. Were they ever really appreciated? 8GUMS.
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