Dragonslayer | Review

While at a house party in Chino, California, director Tristan Patterson accidentally found a subject for his directorial debut in personable 23 year-old skater punk, Josh “Skreech” Sandoval. In Patterson’s eyes he was the hero of the sun washed, wasted suburban youth generation, shrugging off responsibility as he wanders through the drug induced haze with surprising compassion. Dragonslayer artfully captures Sandoval’s tale of skating abandoned pools, a romantic interlude, and eventual submission to capitalistic adulthood with penetrating intimacy, and eloquent authenticity.

Sandoval’s first born, Sid, has just arrived, but unfortunately his relationship with the child’s mother has gone sour. Afraid of letting the child grow up in a home filled with anger and resentment, he leaves to pursue skateboarding adventures across oceans and vacant Cali backyards with the hope that one day Sid won’t hate him for it. At his home base at the Fullerton skate park, despite his meandering, he meets Leslie Brown, a young woman who’s seductive cool could have been pulled right out of an early Godard film. An awkward romance starts to bloom between the odd pair amongst the constantly changing faces around them. Starting to feel stagnant, the two decide to rid themselves of everything but the bare essentials and hit the road, but soon realize that sometimes growing up means just that.

The film is carried by the likable skater, but its strength comes in Patterson’s mastery in the story telling department. Sandoval’s personal narrative is structured into a countdown to the acceptance of responsibility as both a parent and a functioning adult in today’s society. This countdown is beautifully shot in mostly close-ups struggling to focus in on its subjects, but once finding those meaningful moments it displays them with extreme, but delicate clarity. In addition to the crew’s footage, Sandoval was given a flip-cam to capture the chaos of partying, and the self realizations of parenthood from his own point of view. The combination of its curious story structure, visually striking genuine footage, and unique contemplative characters gives the film a feeling more atone to fictional indie productions than a documentary.

Patterson’s real life encapsulation of a Southern California romance is a unique look at youth in revolt where nostalgia and smoke permeate the screen. Its dimed punk soundtrack, and rapid editing give the feeling of Sandoval’s life rushing by as he wanders between camping out in a tent in a friend’s backyard, scoping out potentially deserted pools, and drunkenly getting burgers with Leslie. Dragonslayer authentically portrays Sandoval in all his adrift glory while seeming to blur the lines of what a doc can be with effortless craft.

Reviewed at the 2011 Hot Docs Film Festival.

Rating 4 stars