Trailer for Wildwood, NJ.
Wildwood, a working-class resort town in New Jersey known for its beaches and boardwalks, attracts over 200,000 vacationers yearly from inland New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In 1994, directors Carol Weaks Cassidy and Ruth Leitman trained their Super 8 camera on the young women who make an annual summer migration “down the shore.” The subsequent footage, edited into a cinematic collage, captures the essence of the Jersey girl at leisure: hangin’ with friends, sunning and strolling … but never swimming—it might flatten their hair. The encounters are brief but candid and the effect is enthralling. Not only is it a time capsule of ‘90s hair, full of riot perms, mousse and scrunchies, it’s also a perfect example of documentary’s ability to capture and reflect on a fascinating subculture with shared beliefs about everything from manicures to fighting to the best time to lose your virginity.