by Board Retailers Association | Aug 16, 2022 | Community, Film Review, Skateboard, Social Issues
My morning ritual begins by checking my text messages, followed by pruning my inbox from companies trying to sell me things and then setting my daily agenda. Today was no different but as I checked off empty white boxes next to eComms that would soon be directed to the trash, I received a scheduled email to myself, from myself to watch Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story which was released today on Netflix. Directed by Nicola Marsh and Giovanni Reda, Stay on Board is a powerful piece that packs an extremely complex and moving story over 1 hour and 13 minutes. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription I suggest getting a trial and ghosting or maybe finding an alternative way to view it. Today. Do it today if you have some free time. Before I get into a few takeaways and thoughts as to why I recommend you view this doc immediately, I thought I’d post a synopsis which I cut-and-pasted from its YouTube trailer: From Netflix, Pulse Films, a division of VICE Media Group, and Flower Films comes a raw and immersive feature film that follows competitive skateboarding icon Leo Baker in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympics. As he faces the sharpening stakes and intensifying disconnect between how the world sees him and who he knows himself to be, the pressure to keep on the course or be true to himself comes to a career and a life-defining turning point. Stay on Board is Leo’s journey balancing the gendered world of sports, transition, society, and skate culture, which ultimately leads him to the most punk...
