Minding the Gap

2018 1h 33m EN

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 205

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Keire Johnson
Self
Zack Mulligan
Self
Bing Liu
Self
Nina Bowgren
Self
Mengyue Bolen
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bing Liu
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

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Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bing Liu, shot by Bing Liu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chris Ruggiero. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joshua Altman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Keire Johnson and Zack Mulligan and Bing Liu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt7476236 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bing Liu directs. Bing Liu behind the camera. Chris Ruggiero scores. Joshua Altman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 8 years ago.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Bing Liu, shot by Bing Liu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Chris Ruggiero. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Joshua Altman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Keire Johnson and Zack Mulligan and Bing Liu carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt7476236 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "friendship", "child abuse", "skateboarding", "dysfunctional family".

The technical file

Cinematography: Bing Liu
Original score: Chris Ruggiero
Editing: Joshua Altman
Sound: Jim LeBrecht
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Minding the Gap (2018)

Awards

Sundance Special Jury Prize Documentary

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Bing Liu

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-06-08
The first ten minutes or so of this didn't exactly fill me with confidence. I watched three young American lads obsess about their skateboarding and I couldn't really have cared less. Then director/participator Bing Liu takes us on a slightly unexpected and really quite potent behind the scenes look at just who these men are. What made them what they were at the start of the film - teenagers from a town where potential and opportunity weren't exactly plentiful, and then guide us through their years of their early adulthood. The significance of the skating now largely wanes away and what we are left with is an observation of three people who are each, in their own ways, victims of varying degrees of parental neglect or abuse. Now older, we witness them struggle to reconcile the sometimes quite problematic relationships with their own parents whilst building lives for themselves; their partners and even with one of their own children and we see a gradual fracturing of their hitherto intense inter-reliance. One of them - Zack - shows signs that the apple never falls to far from the tree. He is a bright, engaging but temperamentally erratic man who appreciates that his behaviour towards his girlfriend is unacceptable, even violent. It's not so straightforward, though, as there emerges a certain poignant, pitiable, helplessness to his behaviour. He isn't evil or dangerous, per se, he is just incapable of controlling his temper. His girlfriend - who ought to have run a mile on several occasions with their child, still insists on cutting him some slack acknowledging that there are upsides to their relationship, too. She is also a victim, and you do have to wonder about the impact on the infant as this emotional turbulence shows little indication of stabilising. We also takes a look at what passes for modern-day masculinity and compare it with that of previous generations in quite an effective and exposing, bullying, fashion. If I'm honest, I can't say I liked these folks much, but somehow I was surprisingly drawn into a story of people being a product of their own society - even if they adamantly insist they are individuals doing their own distinct thing. It is perhaps a little long, but still delivers quite a revealing look at prevailing and often uncompromising levels of gender-driven toxicity that does, somewhat counterintuitively, engender a degree of sympathy and maybe even understanding.

Production companies