mid90s: NZIFF Review
Much like Skate Kitchen at last year's NZIFF connected slacker audiences, Jonah Hill's directorial debut centring on a clutch of waster skaters and the youngster that ingratiates himself among them follows similar coming-of-age themes.
Sunny Suljic is 13-year-old Stevie, who hides from the beatings from his sullen brother (Lucas Hedges, inward and violent) and who falls in with a cooler crowd to escape his life. As Stevie negotiates the day to day, he finds the pull of his friends above all else.
mid90s' 16mm film look and also its vibe is probably what Hill wanted to channel for the all-too-familiar tale.
The vibe may be spot on, but a lot of the film takes it cues from its music, with a soundtrack blasting throughout to try and get audience members into the right mood.
There's a low key vibe running throughout, and Hill's insistence on no nostalgia and no skate porn is evident from the beginning - his film is about the relationships, from Stevie and his brother's pained frustrations to Stevie's relationships within the skate crew and the fallouts which usually evolve from close friendships.
In all honesty, mid90s is more about a mood, than a long form narrative, but what Hill manages to do with it, is enough to make it charming and engaging, thanks to some strong central performances and by drawing deep from the well of his own life.
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