In Rockford, Illinois, the lives three young male friends (all of different racial backgrounds) and their families are the subject of this documentary focusing on the town's history of high unemployment, financial hardship, and domestic violence and how this affects individual lives. One of the friends, Bing Liu, is also the director and interviewer of the film.

The film footage takes place over a number of years. The beginning shows the boys as teenage skateboard experts. The first impression is that this is a skateboard doc but it doesn't take long for the film to show its true depth. The testimonies of the abuse from the subjects regarding husbands / partners / fathers / step-fathers have much in common but are also unique. One of the commonalities is a phrase that has sadly been repeated, in various forms, for decades: "yes, he can be terribly mean but when he's nice, he's really so sweet". In one such case, the abuse is subtle as the voice of an unseen man gives an "order" to his female partner who is being interviewed.

The film's boldest moments include those focusing on one of the young men (Zack) who is starting to fall into this negative pattern. What he's doing is wrong but the viewer has already felt compassion for him from previous excerpts. A film-maker is at his/her best when the viewer is left with conflicting feelings such as this case.

"Minding the Gap" has many strong qualities. One is that its creator is not from the outside looking in but one of the insiders. To maintain composure and seem neutral to the history that is so close to him is remarkable. - dbamateurcritic

Bing Liu's "Minding the Gap", currently nominated for Best Documentary Feature, looks at some young men who are into skateboarding as an escape from their dead-end lives. These guys are really into it, but at the same time we see that their existences are stuck in a rut. They spend a lot of time drinking - and I mean large quantities of beer - and getting into arguments with people. It's as if there's no incentive to aspire to anything in this miserable world.

Anyway, a fine documentary. The director takes an incisive look at these men whom he's known for years. I recommend it.

A film that opens with some fantastic skateboarding shots, but very quickly transitions to much heavier themes in the troubled lives of the skateboarders. The three young men, including director Bing Liu, live in Rockford, Illinois and all come from broken homes. The documentary covers a lot of ground - parental and spousal abuse, race, class, coming of age, growing apart, and trying to find one's place in the world. The cyclical nature of things like violence and being a part of the working poor is on display, as is the angst of making mistakes in life that can't be fixed - in one case, from Liu's mother, who married a man who abused him. I really felt for Liu and Keire Johnson, his acquaintance with such a friendly personality despite the things he's been through.

The film is made in a sensitive, non-judgmental way, so it pains me to say this, but Zack Mulligan is much harder to like because I saw him more as a victim of his own choices, and while mocking those who live a conventional life, doing things like hitting his girlfriend and abandoning his son. The end credits, while of some interest, seemed a little artificial in their cheeriness, and I think it was a mistake to make it appear as though the three young men were friends over the decade or so that we see. Bing Liu has a lot of promise and this documentary was engaging, but I'm not sure it truly found itself in the narrative of trauma and abuse, maybe because of how organically the project came together. Would love to see more from him though.