I saw Skate Kitchen at Sundance back in 2018. The movie has a lot of slow build, to the point that it almost seems boring. But then suddenly, after all the build up, you get these fantastic shots of the girls just skating and it really captured the essence of these girls. There was pretty minimal narrative in the film, which was intentional, focusing more on the girls and their friendship rather than huge amounts of drama.
That said, I'm not sure it works as well in a narrative format. I see a lot of the reviews listing the main reason they don't like the show is the fact that the acting isn't good. I can't speak for the rest of the cast, but the ones from Skate Kitchen are definitely NOT actors. Moselle literally found the girl playing Camille and a couple of the other girls on the subway and asked if she could follow them around. They're not acting really, and that's the point. At least, that was the point in Skate Kitchen. I feel the narrative aspect of the TV show loses a lot of the improvisational aspects of the girls just hanging out and being themselves.
Essentially I feel like the show loses a lot of the heart that made Skate Kitchen so charming. But it's not a bad show in and of itself.
That said, I'm not sure it works as well in a narrative format. I see a lot of the reviews listing the main reason they don't like the show is the fact that the acting isn't good. I can't speak for the rest of the cast, but the ones from Skate Kitchen are definitely NOT actors. Moselle literally found the girl playing Camille and a couple of the other girls on the subway and asked if she could follow them around. They're not acting really, and that's the point. At least, that was the point in Skate Kitchen. I feel the narrative aspect of the TV show loses a lot of the improvisational aspects of the girls just hanging out and being themselves.
Essentially I feel like the show loses a lot of the heart that made Skate Kitchen so charming. But it's not a bad show in and of itself.