Follows Stevie, a thirteen-year-old in 1990s-era Los Angeles who spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life and a group of new friends that he meets at a Motor Avenue skate shop.
It's hard to tell if Hill is boldly refusing to adopt a point of view regarding dysfunction and its discontents, or if he just isn't quite sure what to make of it.
Coming-of-age angst and self-discovery set against the skateboarding circuit...Hill spins a heartfelt tale of growing pains balanced by skateboarding rebellion, a sense of tribal belonging, and inescapable domestic disillusionment.
The drama is heartfelt but thin; despite some sharp and swift dialogue, the characters are bound to a defining trait or two, and there's little sense of style to lift the action past obvious intentions.
Mid90s is a love letter to a time and place unique in youth cultural history. It isn't quite great - it has its share of flaws - but as far as debuts go, it's a hell of a strong one.
It just observes, as young rebel movies have since the dawn of cinema, that life is something that happens while you're busy trying to skate around it.
At just 84 minutes, "Mid90s" feels brief, like a sketch rather than a full painting. But Hill is finding his footing, landing one trick at a time, and he's off to a strong start.
We all go through the struggle at one point or another, but we can't let the bad moments keep us down. We have to keep kicking and pushing until we get where we need to be. With a tagline of "Fall. Get back up.", Mid90s is a must see.
