"It’s 1983, and Skateland, the roller rink and local hangout of a small town, is becoming a fading memory of an earlier time, when disco and roller-skating were king. The party scene is getting stale, and 19-year-old Ritchie's romantic life is as cloudy as his future. He struggles to make sense of it all, and decisions do not come easily to the carefree young man. When tragedy strikes his friends and family, Ritchie must face the music—and make the biggest decision of his life.
Without the benefit of a studio budget or name casting, Anthony Burns and Brandon Freeman capture the '80s in startling detail. The result: a cinematic scrapbook of a time and place, a visceral visual, and an aural experience that reclaims the decade for those of us lucky enough to have lived through it once. While the atmosphere is time specific, the themes of the joys and pains of growing up are universal."
Quoting the description from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival site.
Skateland is a 2010 American drama film written and directed by Anthony Burns. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010. The film was released in the United States on May 13, 2011, with distribution by Freestyle Releasing. The film stars young talent, including Shiloh Fernandez, Ashley Greene (well known for her presence in The Twilight Saga), Brett Cullen, James LeGros, Taylor Handley, and Haley Ramm.
The film is dedicated to the memory of John Hughes, a director well known for making teen films throughout the 80s.
The story takes place in a small town in Texas in 1983. The film follows a 19-year-old boy named Ritchie Wheeler (Shiloh Fernandez) who spends most of his time at the local roller rink where he works and hangs out with his friends, Brent Burkham (Heath Freeman), Brent's sister Michelle (Ashley Greene) and Kenny Crawford (Taylor Handley). Ritchie is struggling trying to figure out his future, what he wants to do with his life and if he wants to go to college. When a tragedy occurs in Ritchie's life he is forced to make these decisions earlier than he expected.
Based on an unknown, but presumably small budget, Skateland only grossed $19,411 in the North
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