I was moved by this sweet, well-intentioned little film about finding your courage and standing up for yourself. Which is certainly more identifiable to me than actual skateboarding… because I think I’ve been on a board once in my life and probably promptly fell off. But that’s fine… it’s more about the inspiration than the sport.

The film is about a poor (lower caste) girl in a small village in India. Her parents are very traditional and she struggles to get an education given the needs of her family. When a British woman (of Indian descent) comes to the village, they become friends… and soon a skateboard is introduced… and then skateboards for all the village kids.

I found the lead actress (the teen girl) to be quite charming and all the little kids on their boards joyous and fun. And it’s kind of neat to see a skater and anti-skater film (those adults shaking their fist at the skater rats) played out in “not California”. There’s a good, wholesome message here.

Only one real complaint… the big ending sequence is a little overly dramatic. It’s based on Indian customs to be sure, but it just didn’t really fit with the rest of the film, in my book anyway.

Otherwise, it’s a sweet film that’s worth a watch. And, as a topper, the film assures us they actually built the movie’s skate park in the small Indian town and donated it when filming wrapped. So that’s worth the price of admission, surely.

Score: 84