"mid90s" Review | An Insightful Examination of a Flawed Era and Culture
mid90s, instead of many other period piece films, dares to show audiences the darker side of the culture it represents. mid90s is an excellent examination of how joy, conformity, and indulging in pleasantries masks our inner struggles. Image: A24 Films
The period piece is an inherently intriguing genre of storytelling. Having the core of a story be about capturing the lives, struggles, experiences, and questions of a certain era gives audiences an opportunity to learn more about certain cultures and parts of history that they otherwise may have not had the chance to experience.
Having been born in the mid 1990s myself, having an experienced understanding of American ‘90’s culture and its nuances are never something that I’m going to have. And so, period pieces, whatever medium they derive from, offer an opportunity for audience members such as myself to get to see a screenshot of the cultural moment of the American 1990s that’s inherently foreign to me. However, this genre can also provide insightful critiques on the very culture it initially seems to be celebrating. mid90s, Jonah Hill’s directorial debut courtesy of A24 Films, does just that.
mid90s is a short film, clocking in at a seemingly meager 84-minute run time. Moreover, it is a film that lives and dies by its setting. If you’re not a fan of the aesthetic and focus of 1990s (including the film’s constant 4:3 ratio), then this film simply won’t have very much to offer you. With all of that said, however, mid90s clearly has a lot to say about its time period - not necessarily on the “good parts” and “bad parts” of the decade, but rather the gray areas, the ways in which peoples’ lives were impacted by their surroundings during this time period. Indeed, the impact of peer pressure, along with the influences of our environment and the people we surround ourselves with is mid90s’ primary concern.
This is most heavily illustrated with the film’s protagonist Stevie (later nicknamed as “Sunburn”) who begins as a lonely, insecure boy who has a passion for music and games (as showcased by his rad Street Fighter II shirt). In addition to his solitude, Stevie also struggles with a physically and emotionally abusive older brother and a mother that’s prone to one-night stands and unstable relationships. After coming across a group of skaters that hang out at the local skate shop, Stevie eventually evolves from an asocial, awkward boy who can’t skate to save his life to a member of the skating posse that becomes a more socially comfortable person…who can’t skate to save his life.
The older boys that Stevie hangs out with begin to transform his personality. As Stevie gets familiarized with skater culture, he also gets introduced to drugs, alcohol, and sexual experiences (all of which he encounters as a thirteen-year-old). When viewed from a certain angle, the collection of skaters that Stevie hangs out with could be interpreted as corruptors - people that take away the purity and simplicity of Stevie as we see him at the beginning of the film. However, this collection of skaters is presented as more three-dimensional than that. Indeed, the skaters that Stevie hangs out with have their own complexities that mirror why Stevie turns to skater culture in the first place.
The posse that Stevie spends time with are well-rounded characters that are each confronting their own demons. And yet, they mask these demons through their passion for skating. Image: A24 Films
The gentle and understanding Ray wants to pursue his dream of becoming a professional skater, often serving as a mentor figure to Stevie and often stands as a voice of reason. Ray manages to do this despite a tragedy having occurred in his family, and he simply moves on tries to be strong about it. The absurdly named Fuckshit is slowly losing his passion for skating and his future as he only thinks about the next time and place that he can get drunk and lose himself. Despite being the most cheerful character of the posse and coming off as a “California dudebro skater” stereotype, Fuckshit’s life and future are being drastically impacted by his abusive, unwelcoming family.
The most emotionally powerful member of the posse for me was unexpectedly Fourth Grade, a character that constantly lugs around a camera, filming people skating and doing miscellaneous activities. When asked about why he does it, Fourth Grade states that he wants to become a professional filmmaker. But when his friends say that he’s too stupid to be a filmmaker (as a friendly, if aggressively harsh gesture), Fourth Grade takes it to heart, admitting that he’d be better off working with his dad at a DMV. Despite wanting to put himself out there, Fourth Grade is constantly faced with negativity and doubts by others - something that many people will relate to, including myself.
All of these characters mask their personal turmoils through their friendship and passion for skating. They live lives that are indicative of the flaws of the 1990s, with abuse and mental health being things that weren’t in the public consciousness as heavily as they are today. mid90s examines how people mask their inner struggles through simply pretending they don’t exist - through showing the people merely covered the darker sides of their lives with their passions, the things that made them happy. And sometimes, these things that made them happy also happened to include the toxic escapism bestowed by drugs and alcohol, both of which enter Stevie’s life through peer pressure.
mid90s expertly showcases the flaws of 1990s culture and how parts of it negatively impacted the people that lived in that time period, while still not feeling overly blatant about it. While this isn’t to say that the realities of peer pressure and masking one’s inner demons aren’t issues we face in today’s society, this is to say that such things were present in the ‘90s and thus worthy of critique.
Where mid90s begins to falter is with its over-reliance on fairly common coming-of-age filmmaking. We see too much of a focus on drugs, alcohol, and parties without there feeling like there’s much of a point to it all. It perhaps suffers from sticking a bit closely to a typical coming-of-age story where we see a character slowly becoming introduced to the follies of drugs, alcohol, and sex all climaxing at a moment where their life is put in danger due to their poor life choices made in the film. The film can feel a bit formulaic at times because of this.
Another weak point of the film is the soundtrack. While often relying on either synthwave or licensed ‘90s music, there are a few instances of loud, bizarrely arranged music that feels more distracting anything else. While it’s nothing dealbreaking, it’s certainly something that took me out of the experience at times.
Outside of feeling a bit formulaic and falling in line with a few tropes that are common with slice of life and coming-of-age films, mid90s’ screenplay is very solid. It delivers heart, humor, and humanity to all of its characters, major or minor, which is something that’s always worth admiring. Moreover, the acting is quite mesmerizing, with each member of the skating posse being performed in such a way that made me really believe that I was watching a group of troubled kids that found solace in sharing their hobby with each other. Especially notable performances are Sunny Suljic as Stevie, Lucas Hedges as Stevie’s older brother Ian, and Na-kel Smith as Ray.
mid90s is a dense, intriguing film that analyzes the extent to which a generation was impacted by their surroundings in a flawed era and culture. The ways in which the film showcases youth’s struggles, in addition to the presence and absence of conversations about one’s struggles, are profound, unique, and well-illustrated. Through powerful writing, great performances, and a commentary about a generation that hasn’t had many stories told about it (yet), mid90s is an examination well worth paying attention to.
Final Grade: B
Thanks for reading! What did you think of mid90s? As always, join the conversation and let me know what you think!
