FILM

Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator

by Helen Stickler (documentary, 2002, 82 min, 35 mm)

Helen Stickler's brilliantly constructed documentary charts the rise of skateboarding culture in the 1980s, using the life of the era's most celebrated skater, Mark "Gator" Rogowski, as a focal point. Stickler assembled a superstar cast including Peralta, Tony Hawk, and Jason Jesse to tell Gator’s story. A mix of jaw-dropping skateboarding footage, '80s nostalgia, music, and interviews re-creates the era with great energy and feeling, while presenting an intimate character study of fame gone sour.