This Ain't California

And the truth is, this is per Definition no documentary.

It rather shows the truth that many encountered in the GDR and the creators merged those stories and it's spirit into one legend. This legend, as the movie calls it out at the very beginning, is the boy Denis Paracek aka "Panik" whose story gets narrated by old by old friends in revision after his sudden death in a military mission in Afghanistan. Through him they tell the story of growing up in the GDR 80's, skating and rebelling as early part of the skating scene and it's sudden end when the GDR too found it's sudden end.

Visually the story gets told through mostly recreated analogue shots with actors and some real shots and fotographs. They did a extremely good job on the recreated footage and paired that with perfectly fitting soundtracks. Overall great editing.

Many of the showed friends that talk about Denis or growing up skating in the GDR, aswell as the producer and director of the movie, are people that were part of the skating community in the GDR and did live their part of those stories.

Only Denis and the main story tellers remain legend, but this does not diminish the sentimental value of the story that is told. In the end this is a authentic coming of age movie like no other and it is most definitely worth watching.