Welcome to the first, of what will be many posts from our new series: Skate Pop.

We’re taking you through on this rocky journey of skateboarding through pop culture by recapping movies and TV that feature our favorite skaters. Kicking off the series, we decided to feature the most mentioned skate movie to us in recent history: The Skate Kitchen.

The Skate Kitchen Movie is so special to us because we’ve heard that it has inspired SO many women to start skating. It’s an amazing representation of our mission at Quell: visibility for women and non binary people in skateboarding. If you have not watched The Skate Kitchen it is streaming now on Hulu. Hope you enjoy the first Skate Pop.

---

First, we’re introduced to our protagonist miss Rachelle aka CAMILLE about to ollie a four stair. I’m on board for this solo sesh…until we get this BRUTAL fucking credit card scene.

I am so squeamish that this literally hurts me to watch this and has re instilled a fear in me that I can’t even put into words. The timeline seems insane because you would never get released from the hospital after having major vagina surgery that quickly and then just WALK your ass home but whatever let’s roll with it no pun intended.

So enter Camille’s mom who is my favorite Orange is the New Black character–and she has the reaction of every parent who has ever seen their kid skateboard and fall: promise me no more skateboarding. Okay mom…I promise. But Camille does NOT care. I’m kind of obsessed with the fake instagram and then like google maps transit view of LES because baby our real New York journey is about to begin!

Here we go! Enter Janay (played by Dede), Kurt (played by Nina) and Ruby (played by Moonbear). “I follow you on instagram” is my favorite introduction also. But lets stack these clips ladies. I wonder what they’re actually looking at on that camera honestly. But cut to a downtown montage that is literally making me so sad to be sitting on my couch doing this review. “Can you do an ollie?” is also my favorite introduction…fuck that guy. Who else has had that experience?

I also wonder how much of this is planned or acting - like the car almost hitting Nina aka Kurt etc. Anyway, I feel like they wouldn’t just leave her hanging like that but we had our first day skating with the ladies! Camille get her clip on “The_Skate_Kitchen” insta...fuck yeah bitch as Kurt says.

Day two of hanging out with the squad. Our ladies go to this amazing rooftop tennis court scenario and smoke weed in a beautiful sunset. Kurt brings up and incredible point about the Mandela effect. I am obsessed with this. Camille has to make up a reason to leave and it is SO awkward I am even hurt emotionally.

Still sad we have to hide that skateboard...which another thing, how is her credit card injury going ??
WHAT, was it her birthday all along??? is she vegan? 
Why is she doing the skateboard out the window if we saw her put it in the bushes?
I have a lot of questions clearly.

Now we enter a vibey montage of time passing and their relationship building. Camille states a very sweet sentiment about not feeling lonely because she’s found this group and it makes me really happy. I think it’s so important to have a safe space to feel comfortable with…I mean duh I do. Also, it’s so nice to actually have friends to be able to hang out with. I miss that feeling.

Complete side note but obsessed with this bedroom with a couch in it because WHERE in New York is this. Also I love supportive dads.  It’s so nice to know that this tampon fear has made it onto main screen. I do think I talk about this with my friends but I have to say that this is not what women sit around doing all the time . So then we move into the shitting on men portion and that’s my favorite thing to do with the ladies. The two sexual spectrums are outlined by Kurt- Do you like sucking dick or eating pussy? So Camille likes boys – not sure why we needed to state that but lets see where this goes.

Camille is late to get home and her mom takes away her skateboard. Fuck.

But, a new day is here. We’re at cooper and Charlie, the nicest person in this movie, has delivered a board to us so let’s set this up for the shredding montage. Enter trap music and said montage. Also enter another corona related depressive episode.

Camille sleeps over Janay’s house, and steals her tampons. How’d that go? We’re living our best life now, back having fun at fat kid until mom literally shows up to scream at her and actually hit her in front of her friends? So bye mom we’re leaving your ass and new jersey long island and shacking up with Janay.

It’s so sweet to have this friend moment and hear Camilles story about her struggles with puberty and identity. I think it’s a really difficult grounding point in the movie and her relationship with her mother and the pressure to make these relationships work as you’re trying to know who you are growing to be. You shouldn’t feel that much pressure as a child and it’s so sweet to see someone listening and seeing Camille have that moment where someone is there for HER.

Anyway time to go fuck someone up. We’re back at LES! There’s a dreamy Clairo song playing while there’s just a full on altercation started by Kurt. Hi Jaden aka Devon, welcome to The Skate Kitchen. Fast forward to the grocery store where Camille and Devon both happen to work.

A small but important scene here, is when the girls are on the way to the party and they start talking about their past hookup experiences. Gaslighting is the worst thing possible. I hate having to hear how many shared collective horrible experiences we have with men. But this scene brings my favorite coming of age movie scene- putting lipstick on your friend to a Princess Nokia song. Fast forward through the scenes that probably make this a rated R movie.

I’ve noticed that this movie is really like just about these beautiful friend montages and a couple key plot points but just kind of feeling that emotion and without dialogue it gives you time to like bring it back to your own self. Is that too deep? I don’t know.

Anyway, Camille goes to hang out with Devon to take photos. My fear of heights is giving me insane stress in this moment but it’s clear that this kick flip photo shoot on the roof is a ~turning point~. Especially when he says: you’re the only girl i’ve ever brought up here oh FUCK that’s the worst sentence I have ever heard.

Camille goes back to her new home, aka Janay’s home and wants to skate this street spot with the girls. I feel the tension building. Janay is nervous and isn’t feeling respected which is culminates in a skate injury and a metaphorical riff in her and Camille’s relationship. Sad.

Camille tries to ask questions about boys to Indigo and we’re finding out the tea between Janay and Devon. Tension builds when Camille lies to Janay and hangs out with Devon. But at least we get another vibey montage of skating with the bros.

The next day, we hang out at Cooper. Literally what is good with this weed she is dead??? but Indigo just realized what is GOOD with Camille and Devon…uh oh. Fast forward, another day another Cooper scene. Janay comes back to the park to hang with her friends and also beat Camilles ass because suddenly learns about her “friendship” with Devon. Seems like this is not going to go very well for the future of The Skate Kitchen.

Not that this is the point of this scene but when Camille is mad as fucks her hair looks incredible. So anyway, Camille made her bed and now has to lie in it...and by her bed I mean this couch in the living room of Devon’s apartment until she literally gets in his bed instead. UH OH. I’m excited for this all to get better because now I am sad and I miss my mom.

And here we are, mom gives the best advice to just apologize. Squad scene, we are back. Let’s vibe it out a little more. I don’t know about you but I MISS MY FRIENDS.

---

This recap was written by Adrian Koenigsberg.
If you have a movie or show you want us to recap let us know.

Stay tuned for more Skate Pop and follow The Skate Kitchen's journey when Betty comes out on HBO May 1st.

We had the opportunity to chat with Sasha Rainbow about her short documentary Kamali ahead of the NYC screening at The General by Vans on Wednesday October 30th.

Seven-year-old Kamali is the only girl skateboarder in a small fishing village in India where, by chance, a skate ramp happened to be built right outside her house. Kamali is youngest of three generations of women living together in her home.

Suganthi, Kamali’s timorous mother, was locked away as a child until the day she was married. Having recently found the courage to leave her abusive husband, Suganthi decides to take a pilgrimage in a quest for self-discovery. As mother and daughter are separated for the first time, both must find their freedom as they dare to step outside into a man’s world.

---

When did you first start skateboarding? What drew you to it?

It was the longest day of the shoot for the music video I was shooting in India with the new girl skate movement happening there. All the girls hadn't arrived till lunch time so we'd lost half a day (so shot some top shots with the guys on their boards disguised in Saree's) We missioned through the afternoon until the sun went down, exhausted, then prepped for our night shoot.

I had planned for us to have this epic flaming sign that burned "ALPHA FEMALE" (the name of the song) above the skatepark, so when the guy organising it arrived with chicken wire, rope and a can of petrol, I made a split second decision, to either freak out, or to skate. I hadn't been on a board since I was 13, but on borrowing a board, found myself doing a pendulum up and down the ramp. People asked me if I had done it before. I hadn't. When we were ready to shoot, the flame sign was pretty pathetic and fizzled out quickly but we shot it slow mo so it was passible.

After that night I felt so good that as soon as I got back to London I bought myself a second hand board.

How do you think skateboarding, specifically as a woman, has influenced your approach to filmmaking?

I think skateboarding has made me more gutsy all around. I was at an age (30) where I was the least in touch with my body than I'd ever been.

Skateboarding linked my body and mind again and made me feel less fear of falling/failing - because it was inevitable. It also made me feel bolder, because of the way the outside world responds to a woman on a skateboard. From pity to pride, the messages I've got have all helped me really not give a fuck what anyone else thinks; I'm doing me.

What was your first reaction when you met Kamali on that trip to India for Wild Beast’s ‘Alpha Female’ video?

Boredom shifted to elation. It's rare to meet someone who has this 'X factor'. Who knows what the hell that even means, but when you witness it, you know it exists. She existed in that moment in total purity.

When did you decide that Kamali needed a film of her own?

Kamali and her mum stayed with us in our accommodation after leaving their village for the big city for the first time. They took my room and I shared with my producer and we all got to know each other well over a few days. Kamali was so much fun to hang with, but It wasn't until we interviewed her mother Suganthi, that we knew there was a story that we had to tell.

What is it like to work with Kamali and her family?

I wouldn't have called it work on our part, but on theirs! They told me later they had thought we were coming to do a cute little content piece on Kamali skating, and had no idea we'd be with them 24/7, some days from the moment they woke up, till when they went to bed. It was hard on their routine, but they were open and generous with us and we became part of the daily fabric of their existence, eating with them, picking Kamali and her brother up from school, weekend trips to the village and so forth. I pushed Suganthi and her family to talk about things they hadn't confronted together, so kudos goes their bravery for sharing their world with us.

What do you hope that people will take away from the film?

I hope any woman in an abusive relationship is inspired by Suganthi to walk away from it. I hope little girls see Kamali and become interested in skating. I hope adults bringing their boys and girls up with gender ideology see Kamali as a role model for what can happen when girls are allowed to follow their passions.

We know that Kamali’s story has already touched many people, inspiring people in India and beyond to break gender barriers - how do you think that skateboarding specifically can help more people like Kamali break barriers in their culture?

In places like India, Afghanistan and Cambodia where organisations such as Skateistan are introducing skateboarding, it hasn't been claimed as a male only sport yet. Where girls might not be allowed to engage in other activities, this one is unclassified. Every time someone in India (or anywhere) sees a girl fall over and pick herself up again, unscathed, something in their consciousness shifts. It comes down to breaking these stereotypes; that girls will have less 'value' if they hurt themselves (like a broken piece of chine, an object), and that anyone could do something just for 'fun.' In Kamali's case, girls in her village are now being allowed to try skateboarding because their parent's have seen the positive effects on Kamali, who is now starting to teach them.

Beyond just gender, how have you seen skateboarding used as a tool for social impact through your work with Kamali and Skateistan?

The actual skate space brings people together; misfits from all ages, genders and social classes; skateboarding is an individual activity with a huge emphasis on community. But I don't know if I can add anything to what you've probably heard before. I'd just say grab a board and try it for yourself sometime. As Channy from Holystoked Collective in India said..."when you feel the wind in your hair, and you're flying, there's nothing like it. And when you fall and injure yourself, you know you're alive."

Watch the trailer below and join us on Wednesday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to watch the film!