The way to explain this film would be to say that it perfectly captures the feeling of being young and having potential, possibilities and something transient that you can live beautifully at the time its happening. I watched Airborne on television in the late 90’s. Maybe it was the state that I was in, but I felt like there was this convergence between myself and the main character, a California surfer named Mitchell Goosen who has been transplanted unwittingly to Cincinnati.

Espousing a non-violent philosophy, Mitchell tries to preserve his ideals while dealing with hostility in his new, inland setting. Brittney Powell plays his love interest, a girl who also happens to be the sister of one of the guys antagonizing Mitchell in school.

You could say the classic underdogs vs preppies opposition is an overdone cliche in high school films, but here it’s just a plot device to set up the climactic race on roller-blades between the two groups. Here, Mitchell wins acceptance as his beliefs influence his tactics in the race.

From the lingo to the soundtrack by Stewart Copeland, everything in the film makes the viewer feel nostalgic about the era that Airborne is set in. You can feel how the moments explored in the film will never come again later in life. Also, while the characters experience a celebration in the final parting shot, who knows what really happens to them as time passes?

What I am left to think about is the sensation of the world whipping by as we try to surf/skate the hidden waves around us, embracing each new experience while allowing the aftertaste of the past to linger.

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