mid90s
2018 · Directed by Jonah Hill
Original language: English
- drama
- comedy
The story
In 1990s Los Angeles, a 13-year-old spends his summer navigating between a troubled home life and a crew of new friends he meets at a skate shop.
What it’s like
Shot in a narrow 4:3 frame with grainy, warm-faded 16mm texture, this is sun-bleached Los Angeles in 1995: stucco apartments, pastel-tinted afternoons, skate shop fluorescents, and handheld camera that stays close to a thirteen-year-old's face. Much of the look is quiet and observational, with long takes of boys skating empty parking lots and sharing cigarettes on curbs, while the sound leans on period hip-hop, grunge and the clack of wheels on concrete. The vibe is wistful and restless, a summer that feels both aimless and urgent, suited to a lazy weekend afternoon or a late-night rewatch that wants nostalgia without sentimentality. Pacing is loose and episodic, with awkward silences and sudden flares of humour. Its emotional core is a lonely kid slowly learning how to belong, and how tenderness can hide in rough company. Intensity is moderate: crude language, teenage drinking and drug use, some bullying and fistfights, a sexual-misconduct thread and a few harsh moments, but no gore and little gratuitous violence. It suits viewers who want a grounded, unglamorous coming-of-age story with real texture and emotional honesty.
More films like mid90s
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved mid90sand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
