Synopsis: A handful of teenagers find the life they've known is slipping away from them in this independent coming-of-age drama. Nineteen-year-old Ritchie Wheeler (Shiloh Fernandez) is the manager of a roller rink in a small town in East Texas. Ritchie's job gives him a chance to hang out with his friends and get paid for it, but fewer kids are interested in roller skating, and Ritchie's life increasingly feels like an extension of high school as he parties his evenings away without moving forward. Ritchie's kid sister, Mary (Haley Ramm), and his girlfriend, Michelle (Ashley Greene), both think its time he tried to make something of himself, but Ritchie isn't sure which way to go, even as he sees a disturbing reflection of himself in Brent (Heath Freeman), Michelle's older brother. Brent left town for a promising career in motorcycle racing until an accident ended his career and now he's back, drinking beer with his sister's friends and picking up high school girls. As the roller rink is poised to close and divorce tears apart both Ritchie's and Michelle's families, they find themselves leaving childhood behind while uncertain about what adulthood holds. The first feature film from director Anthony Burns, SKATELAND was an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Review: Skateland is a fantastic coming of age drama set in the early 1980s.  I didn't expect a lot from this film at first, although I knew I'd enjoy the clothes and the settings from my youth.  The young actors in the film did a fantastic job, especially Ashley Greene, who plays Michelle.  This film can easily be considered an iconic example of the transition from youth to adulthood, painful though it can be.

Interest Range: Drama