MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Kickflip’ Is Not Just A Skater Boi’s Wet Dream, It’s An Ode To Youth & How Age Is Just A Number

By Ameera Rosli  •  04 Dec 2020 in Features

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Skater culture has been around for years in Malaysia yet there aren’t many local films that do it justice.

Often misconstrued as a delinquent’s hobby, skating gets a bad rep within the mainstream and majority. In reality, skaters forms a tight-knit bond within their community since skate parks are few and far between and you’re bound to bump-into a familiar face on more than one occasion.

The carefree and buoyant emotion that complements the balance it takes to steady oneself, and the act of control yet letting yourself go to truly take flight is an art. Now, finally, there’s a Malaysian movie that has truly captured the beauty of it.

Currently streaming on Mubi, Kickflip directed by Khairil M. Bahar, is more than just an ode to skater culture, it’s a tribute to the joys of being young and how youth isn’t as ephemeral and anchored by age as we think it is.

The film centres around a middle-aged man named Johan who was forced to take an entry-level advertising job in order to support himself and his wife since they have a baby on the way. Thrust into a corporate world and pummelled by daily mundane tasks and verbal abuse from his eccentric bosses, Johan eventually starts to wear down… until he meets a young skater.

Ali kickflips into Johan’s life and they both begin an endearing friendship adhered by the grip tape of skating. Nostalgia floods over him as he remembers his love for skating and photography, but living in the past is not an option for a soon-to-be father.

As he struggles with his desire to stay in Neverland, responsibilities knock on his door and Johan has to face the all-too-relatable dilemma of continuing what he loves or succumbing to the corporate machine.

Watch the trailer below:

Kickflip strikes the perfect balance (adeptly so since Khairil is surely a skater in real life with those sick tricks) between vignettes of old skool nosegrab tricks, modern tre flips and the pressure to grow up in an ever demanding society. Filmed in entirely black and white, with a few colourful, stylistic choices towards the end, the film looks bleak in the beginning to portray Johan’s turmoil.

However, his saving grace doesn’t come in the form of a Street Plant skateboard but it manifests in his wife, Khadijah, who is honestly the best part of the film. Strong, kind, funny and incredibly supportive without feeding into his delusions, Khadijah’s character drives the film and pushes Johan into pursuing what he loves while reminding him of his responsibilities as a future father.

His other source of solace is Ali, played by well-known skater Syed Qodeem, who reminds Johan of himself when he was younger. Exuberant and vibrating with energy, Ali teaches Johan not only a few skate tricks but also how to let go and just enjoy his moments on the board.

Filled to the brim with some of the most endearing and intimate scenes I’ve watched in a film in a long time, Kickflip definitely feels personal to the director and it doesn’t hurt that Khairil also plays the protagonist, Johan. The winsome joy felt by the character is palpable through the screen and the film does not need saturation in order to depict the vibrancy of his happiness.

Seen through his smile that stretches from ear-to-ear when he finally starts to skate again, the film shows us how rediscovering our past passions can impact our current lifestyle.

Kickflip was also filmed at local skate spots like Seksyen 13 Skate Park, Mont Kiara Skate Park, as well as Gasket Alley for a skate competition scene. Those from the local skate community are bound to spot a few familiar faces (or even themselves) in the background of this film.

With a special cameo from Joe Ipoh and a satisfying scene of Johan getting a fresh new deck, this film is a Malaysian skater boi’s Citizen Kane.

The perfect way to describe Johan’s arc in the film is also depicted in his skating. Relearning something he had forgotten even if it meant fumbling and falling along the way, this movie proves that age is beyond our control but youth is something that we can grasp by the throat and never let go.

I highly recommend this movie, not just to lovers of skating (although it’s near perfect for those who are) but to those who have forgotten what it feels like to do something they loved and need reminding.

You can stream Kickflip on Mubi.

Keep up with Khairil on his Facebook.

“You didn’t quit skateboarding because you got old, you got old because you quit skateboarding.”
– Jay Adams