It’s going to take a lot more than skill for Cru Jones to conquer the toughest BMX challenge in the world. It’s going to take a miracle.
Skill clearly isn’t the issue in 1986’s BMX classic Rad (one of my favorites) as Cru proves himself to be a great rider early on in the film. So what’s this miracle?
Unable to qualify for Helltrack because he has no sponsor and the corporate BMX machine is doing all that they can to prevent him from racing, Cru’s little sister initiates the brilliant idea of starting their own team through the simple act of printing their own shirts. Of course there are many more obstacles to follow, but this printmaking scene (starts about 2 mins. into the clip) is a true turning point in the film.
This is kind of a followup to a previous Printeresting post regarding the negative image of printmakers in film. In Rad, D.I.Y. printmaking is the hero and it opens a whole new world of possibility for Cru Jones.
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Printmaking as a tool for empowerment!
Ever since you posted this, I’ve been wishing my name was “Cru.”