I randomly decided to watch Skate Kitchen last night and I am SO glad I did because it has now SKYROCKETED to my top ten favorite movies I’ve ever watched. The entire film was beautifully made and had a stellar cast. It was directed by an incredible female filmmaker Crystal Moselle and I was hooked from the first moment, all the way to the last. This doc-narrative hybrid film does an incredible job depicting the difficulties women have when trying to enter and be a part of a male-dominated profession.
The film follows one girl in particular, Camille, as she becomes a part of the skater community in New York City. Camille begins the film feeling extremely alone, but as she skates with these other women, she feels more and more at home. She finds an amazing support system with a group of skater girls and then begins attempting to fit in with the male part of the community. We see throughout the first third of the film that there’s a harsh divide between the male and female skaters within the community. We also see that it’s mostly due to unfair prejudice against women through several scenes where the men are criticizing the women for not being able to keep up. Camille of course doesn’t understand why this divide is so extreme when she first enters the community of skaters, but begins to understand it as time goes on.
It took me so long to see Skate Kitchen because I thought — I’m not really a skater, why would I enjoy this film? I think a lot of people have this attitude towards this film because, as fascinating as skating is, it’s definitely not everyone’s favorite activity. However, this film is much more a story about the fundamental differences between how men and women grow up, as well as how fast they mature. It’s also a beautiful example of how hard it can be to enter a male-dominated profession and be just as confident. As a gal who was always wanted to play with the guys Skate Kitchen was inspiring to watch and I wish it had been around when I was a teenager.
I was always friends with guys when I was younger and I never felt that boys had an advantage against me at any point In elementary school. So that’s why I was extremely confused when I entered grade school and found that they began separating sports by gender, as well as during general physical activities. I found it infuriating that I wasn’t able to compete on the same team as the guys and I really didn't fully accept why until much later.
The opening sequence is an amazing example of this differentiation between girls and boys, even at a young age. We see Camille skating, but then she slips up on a trick and falls, hurting herself. The incident is officially called being ‘credit-carded’ and is extremely painful, not to mention it can also be dangerous for women’s reproductive health. This is a perfect example of how girls are constantly reminded of their reproductive responsibility, even when they’re only fifteen years old. The boys at the skatepark during this scene just joke around about how Camille got her period, which is extremely immature. Men honestly have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to women’s reproductive health because men aren’t taught shit about it. Women’s menstrual cycles are considered a taboo topic in our society, yet somehow I feel as though I’m constantly being forced to think about it. However, women’s health issues are brought up quite frequently during this film; especially relating to their menstrual cycle and how to deal with it while skating. For example, the girls Camille befriends are shocked when they find out she hasn’t used tampons because her mother doesn’t trust them. They ask how she skates when she’s on her period because they know personally how difficult it can be without a tampon. This discussion is a huge moment of growth for Camille and we see her start to develop a huge amount of admiration for these women who are sharing all these intimate, helpful lessons with her. These are problems that men never have to deal with while skating.
Another incredible example of how Skate Kitchen accurately depicts the differences between men and women is through the hangouts they have at their homes. Towards the beginning of Camille’s friendship with the group of skater girls, they all hang out at Janay’s house in her bedroom. They talk about skating, sexual preferences, periods, their families, mental health, and their mindsets as women overall. Camille is welcomed into the group and it’s obvious she feels comfortable as well as supported by these women. Fast forward to when Camille seeks solace from her problems by staying at Devon’s place — a trap house filled with all-male skaters. It’s loud, horribly messy, they barely even notice Camille has arrived and the television alternates between showing porn and skating videos. This stark contrast in living situations shows the harsh reality for why there’s such a different culture between young men and women who skate.
Rachelle Vinberg does an incredible job projecting the vulnerability of a young adolescent teen, trying to understand what’s happening to her mind and body as she matures. At one point during the film, Camille talks to her friend Janay about how she used to be closer with her father until she went through puberty. A lot of Skate Kitchen is devoted to Camille trying to come to the terms with the fact that she is in fact a girl and has to deal with the struggles that come with that.
Skate Kitchen is at its core a coming of age film for young women. It portrays how difficult it can be to be woman trying to fit into a male-dominated community through these young female skaters. It’s one of the most real representations of a teenage female friend group I’ve ever seen in the media. Men and women are fundamentally very different in wonderful ways and Skate Kitchen does an incredible job at portraying that difference through the story of Camille and her bomb ass squad.
