Skater Girl Parent Guide

Prerna (Rachel Saanchita Gupta) knows she’s trapped: trapped by poverty, trapped by her low caste, trapped by her family’s expectations. Because her parents can’t afford a school uniform or textbooks, she is unable to go to school. So she drops her brother (Shafin Patel) off at school, does housework, and helps with the family’s market stall, glumly awaiting the day her parents arrange a marriage.

For Jessica (Amy Maghera), Prerna’s village is not a prison but a source of understanding. Trying to learn more about her late father, she has travelled from her home in London to the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Drawn to the children in Khempur, she marvels at their ingenuity, kindness, and enthusiasm. And when her friend, Erick (Jonathan Readwin), drops into town, she witnesses the children’s fascination with his skateboard. Impulsively, Jessica buys a bunch of skateboards, and watches the kids take off, filled with excitement and newfound confidence.

Initially hesitant, Prerna takes to skating. “There’s no one to control me,” she says, “no rules to follow. It feels like I’m gliding in the sky.” But Prerna still has to fight against fear, face the potential of injuries, and appease her traditional parents. And centuries of tradition can’t be overthrown in a few weeks…

Skater Girl is a distinctive sports film but not for its narrative line, which is pretty predictable. To be honest, most sports films follow similar beats and deliver the same emotional rush at the end. What makes Skater Girl stand out is its unique setting. I’ve never seen a sports film set in India before, let alone one starring a girl who loves to skateboard. This allows the production to do more than just tell a sports story; it introduces real world issues like female education, child marriage, and caste segregation. While most kids won’t want to sit through a documentary on any of those topics, this movie manages the difficult feat of providing exciting edutainment – teaching viewers while telling an interesting story that will appeal to older kids, teens and adults. It’s basically the cinematic equivalent of sneaking zucchini into chocolate cake.

Best of all, this film comes with very little to worry parents. There’s some plot related peril and some minor violence (although since it’s in a domestic setting it’s more disturbing). There are also a few places where the consequences of characters’ choices seem to magically disappear, but that’s not exactly new in the world of movie make-believe.

Where Skater Girl really pulls a hardflip is with its abundant positive messages. Jessica immerses herself in the lives of Khempur’s children, changing their lives for the better and portraying the benefits of selfless community service. Prerna’s narrative shows the power of determination, persistence, and plain hard work. Whether or not nightmare flips sound like your idea of fun, this girl power message is easy to love.