mid90s

"So let's go. Come on." I hate when people start their reviews with a quote from the film, but this one will never fall short of making me a teary emotional mess.  Mid90s is a coming of age film about growing up in the 90s, interpreted through the eyes of a young boy from a dysfunctional family.  The movie encapsulates themes like growing up in a broken family, depression, trauma, and how that shapes individuality. The movie takes these themes and applies them to every character and focuses on how they escape from their troubles.  Through skating, we see how these characters, though starkly different, interact with each other and how their conflicts seep into their everyday lives. It is so seamlessly done, I want to list one million examples of how we can see character development through simple conversation, but I think it can only be appreciated by watching the movie.  What I love is that every character has a story; every character follows the same themes as listed above, and though we don't follow every character as close as Stevie, every character has a different backstory that affects their moods and behaviours-- however, their differences all lead to one thing: finding solace in skating.  I've seen this movie too many times to count, I have watched it at least once a year since 2018, and never has this movie not impacted me right after watching it. As I grow up I feel like I relate to each character more and more and appreciate how authentically and raw the movie depicts them and their different struggles. So, if you really think you have it bad, "Let's go. Come on."