United Skates

A celebration of a vibrant black subculture that also shows how discrimination can pervade even the most harmless pastime.

This is a passion project in the best sense of the word, a movie in which the ingenuity and dedication of the filmmakers illuminate the same qualities in their subjects.

Round and round it flows - why not jump on in?

This kaleidoscopically vibrant, essential-viewing survey plunges audiences into a dazzling underground scene, celebrating the endangered art form it finds there.

Makes you want to see if those old skates are still buried in the closet.

Charming, informative, and a little heartbreaking.

In a brisk 89 minutes, they give us the fabulous world of ... good times, great music, and pretty amazing skating.

United Skates shows a subculture that needs some promotion, has a great soundtrack, good interviews, and shows dance moves that can give you chills.

Amid it all are the joyful expressions on wheels, reflective of different cities and regions.

The documentary brings to the foreground a fascinating and, moreover, beautiful culture lurking in the background of other stories.

I was hypnotised by the way the camera was capturing these people and embedding itself on the floor, swooping and swinging with as much vigour as the people its watching.

This is a film that paints a humanizing portrait of an endangered form of expression, risked at the hands of the micro-racism and economic tribulations faced by the African-American community.