Minding the Gap
Overview
Director-cinematographer Bing Liu's award-winning documentary follows his own long-time friends over a decade as they come of age in the declining Rust Belt town of Rockford, Illinois. Caught between tumultuous relationships with their own families and bleak future prospects, they religiously pursue skateboarding for an outlet and a sense of community. As they become young adults, their camaraderie is strained by the weight of an unexpected fatherhood, racial identity issues, and unresolved domestic trauma.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Bing Liu - Director
Details
- Format: Blu-ray
- UPC: 715515254212
- Genre: DOCUMENTARY
- Rating: Not Rated
- Release Date: January 2021
Movie Reviews
Reviews:
"MINDING THE GAP starts out as one story, suggesting one set of character arcs, and then flows in unexpected directions and underlines new sets of themes, without ever feeling haphazard or ill-considered." - 01/22/2018 Hollywood Reporter
4 stars out of 4 -- "It would be impressive even without the palpable sense of connection and understanding that Liu brings to the material, but its easygoing intimacy is what puts it over the top." - 08/17/2018 RogerEbert.com
"[E]xtraordinary....This deeply moving documentary emerged from several years’ worth of skateboard videos that Liu shot of himself and his buddies Zack Mulligan and Keire Johnson, whom he grew up with in Rockford, Ill." - 08/16/2018 Los Angeles Times
"As the young men get stronger, bolder and more dexterous, Mr. Liu’s camera skills keep pace, and he captures the sense of risk, freedom and creativity that makes their pastime more than just a hobby." - 08/16/2018 New York Times
"[T]he vérité documentary MINDING THE GAP, doesn’t merely wax rhapsodic about skateboarding’s therapeutic potential. Instead, it demonstrates how the activity functions as a tonic for battered souls." -- Grade: B+ - 08/14/2018 A.V. Club
4.5 stars out of 5 -- "Liu creates an unforgettable film experience that will knock the wind out of you." - 08/15/2018 Rolling Stone
"Liu encapsulates the freedom, the companionship, and the beauty of skating in a way that sweeps the audience up in the motion and the space." - 08/18/2018 The Atlantic
"GAP is a terrifically moving documentary about Rust Belt lost boys trying to find themselves." - 12/27/2018 Boston Globe
4 stars out of 5 -- "Bing Liu captures an intimacy and internal conflict that's rare." - 03/18/2019 Empire
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