Tri-State_Skater

A dark teen story set in Meriden, CT circa the mid 2000's. It's a little weird, and seems like it tried to copy The Virgin Suicides, but with a big emphasis on sex instead.

I'm from Connecticut myself. Meriden is a much more diverse place now. In the mid 2000's it was whiter but definitely about to change. So I guess it sort of captures the area. It probably would have made more sense to set in Wallingford instead. They briefly mention that town in an early scene.

I get what the film was trying to discuss. Youth, sex, virginity, incest, fetishes, and so on. It just came out very stale. I promise CT is not like this all the time. A bunch of normal people live here.

I saw one of the writers went to Choate Rosemary Hall as a kid in Wallingford. I wonder if they saw this stuff at that fancy private school, but didn't want people to know it was about them. Although I have met people who attended that school and they were completely normal.

I grew up in southern Connecticut, but in the 90's and 2000's, and I was Christian. Something about the movie and its characters still felt familiar. Also, the parents would represent my grandparents generation, and the kids would represent my parents generation.

It felt like I was watching some of my summer vacations farther up in New England, even if this movie was based in the Catskills.

I loved every character even if I disagreed with the Mom's choice, and I thought the traveling salesman was just a player. They still needed to be there. The Mom was very lucky to have to have the husband she did. A hard working family man. You can't ask for more. I get where she was coming though. I'm very grateful I never had to be a teen Mom. For the traveling salesman there's no way he hasn't done this before. A traveling homewrecker.

I recommend this movie to any woman, and maybe men. It's probably a better watch as a woman. It's not overly sexual but still sensual. Just a great film.

A PG movie focused on kids, but for audiences of all ages.

A story of two boys in Cabrini Green during 1992. Their lives aren't plagued by a ghost named Candyman, since there's plenty of real problems around. Their innocent minds don't let them see how dangerous their world is.

I think it captured the 90's enough, but some things felt very current day. The parents in both families choose not to hit their kids. Most kids are never that lucky, and definitely not back in 1992. I'm white for reference, and I was born a year after the film is set, but hitting used to be even more common than it secretly is now. I know it was even worse for black kids, based on stories at school. I get why the film wanted to push that though. Sorry that part just bothered me.

Overall it's a good story though. Kids are kids anywhere.