paratext

Unreleased: Dragonslayer.

I had the chance to watch Dragonslayer — a beautiful, hilarious, and weird documentary about a SoCal skater — and write a blurb about it for an upcoming screening which, unfortunately, fell through. The film’s still making the festival rounds, so if you have the chance, go see it. In the meantime, here’s the trailer (above) and my blurb (below).

“Gorgeously documenting the vibrant lives a generation that’s struggling to thrive in a suburban landscape of foreclosed homes and empty swimming pools, Dragonslayer is a skate documentary where instead of ollies the tricks are fatherhood, earning a living, and falling in love, and the injuries are much more than skinned knees or broken bones. Part art film, part verité doc, part scumbag Laguna Beach, the film follows awkwardly upbeat and infinitely quotable subject Josh “Screech” Sandoval through a brief but transformational period in his life in Fullerton (the real OC), as he reenters the skating world after a bout of depression, hooks up with a longtime crush, and learns how to be a father. Plus, lots of cheap beer and drugs. Winner of Best Cinematography and Best Documentary at this year’s SXSW, Dragonslayer pirouettes with a gritty, oversaturated grace that’s as idiosyncratic and unforgettable as Sandoval’s unpredictable skating style.”