“Daggers!”

A film about two rival skate gangs in L.A., where one leader falls in love with his opponent’s sister. A snapshot of the booming 1980s West Coast skate scene—house parties featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers, competitions where sponsors wait to turn you “pro,” and Hollywood Boulevard as your personal playground for thrashing with your crew.

Among the stunt performers and background actors, the film notably features Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Tony Alva, Natas Kaupas, and even the infamous “Gator.”

Through some twist of history, the film made it to the screen of Kino Sõprus upon its release in 1986, laying the foundation for the second wave of Estonian skateboarding—more aggressive and street-oriented. Various key figures of the 1990s skate scene have cited this film as their main source of inspiration, presenting a vision of skateboarding vastly different from the USSR’s popular slalom style, which resembled more of an acrobatic or ice-skating discipline than a countercultural lifestyle. This film didn’t convert any capitalism-hating Soviet youth, but rather solidified the connection between skateboarding, punk music, and everything that came with it.