An Australian skateboarding documentary with a broad global appeal, Skategoat is one of the year's most memorable local offerings that examines the life and times of social media skating sensation Leandre "Skategoat" Sanders.
For his debut feature length film, director Van Alpert has struck gold by collating years worth of footage he and partners shot over more than a decade as a chance encounter with Sanders and his fellow skateboarding enthusiasts and "lost boys" including long-term off-sider Haden Mckenna allowed for Skategoat to come together as not only an intriguing look at the makings of Sanders but also the misunderstood skateboarding and broader scene of Venice Beach.
Making it's mark recently at Australian film festival's in Sydney and Melbourne, Skategoat isn't an overly focussed or narratively minded expose but Alpert and his creative team (which includes producer participation from Gwyneth Paltrow) ensure that this quickfire 84 minute doco is consistently engaging as both Sanders and the broader skateboarding world make for interesting main characters along with some stunning and memorable action in the bowls and streets Sanders frequents across his journey in the 4-wheeled world.
Joining the likes of skateboard themed heavy hitting doco's such as Dogtown and the Z Boys and All This Mayhem, Skategoat is a fascinating look into the culture of the skating world that many would have very little idea about and while a more narrowed in focus may have benefited Alpert's film on an emotional or storytelling level, there's still a lot to take away from the story of Sanders as the boy turned man escaped a world of gangs and drugs to turn his attention to making something of his skateboarding skillset.
With close to 360,000 followers on his Instagram profile at the time of viewing, it's not hard to see why so many fans from around the world have tuned in to follow Sanders unique and colourful journey in the skateboarding scene and getting too witness him and Mckenna explore their abilities and traverse the beautiful but unforgiving and foreboding Venice Beach area as teenagers who should be guided by adult influencers is an eye-opening one with the boys and Alpert capturing some of the years most memorable imagery on their journey together.
From the drug-addled skid-row streets, the sunlit skate bowls through to the busy sidewalks and alleyways of one of the most well-known locations in the world, Skategoat offers up a fantastic chance for viewers to become a fly on the wall to a whole other universe and one that helped mould and shape the charismatic Sanders into the man he is today, a man who has never shied away from a challenge and beat the expectations placed on him from the moment he entered the world.
Final Say -
While offering no grand insights or statements, Australian backed doco Skategoat is an impressive debut from director Van Alpert and a must-see for any skating fans or those seeking a warts and all exploration of the Venice Beach surrounds.
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