FilmSnobReviews

Title:  United Skates
Rating: NR
Director: Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown
Starring: Salt-N-Pepa, Vin Rock, Coolio
Runtime: 1hr 29min

What It Is: Directors Winkler and Brown tell the story of skating rink culture from coast-to-coast. Aside from, style, waviness, and sheer talent, this documentary highlights the macro and microaggressions Black skaters have endured since the early 1930s.

What We Think: In this the term skater takes on a whole new meaning for those who have never stepped foot into a skating rink. How deep the culture of skating goes is only felt by the generations of skaters who first fought to be allowed into the skating rinks and who now fight to keep them open. This documentary allows viewers a look into how intense and politically sticky this subculture goes. It’s one thing to be aware of how rezoning and redistricting play into minimizing the number of storefronts that are owned and operated by people of color…but becoming aware of the type of businesses, who they serve, and what they provide reaffirms how institutions of power aim to destroy people at the very root of their being. Skaters express their grievances of having a part of their identity stripped away from them through skating rinks being shut down to the rules and regulations of the skating rinks that are still open. Such as advertising that they don’t play R&B, advertising that they don’t have “adult nights” (often code for nights where Black people congregate in mass), and restricting wheel size that is common to Black skate-wear and more. It’s mindboggling to think about how intricate the system is willing to go in order to stop Black people from having fun, having an outlet, and in some cases having an activity to keep them OUT of cyclical trouble. When culture is under attack, the subcultures that fall underneath it are under attack too.

Our Grade: A+, Aside from the premise, the flow of the film and the visuals do an effective job of keeping the viewer hooked. When most people hear the word skate they assume skateboarders, skate parks, and the like. This film really takes you into a whole other world of small-wheel-sports.