"LINES" - A Journey Through Rap, Skiing and Philosophy

Featured Image: Courtesy of Josh Goldsmith

The connections between rap and freeskiing aren't abundantly evident on the surface. But like all art, the ties are there if you boil away the extremities and examine the underlying themes. In "LINES," Mallory Duncan and director Josh Goldsmith ask us to look past the obvious and inspect the similarities between these two forms of expression, highlighting the moments before performance through storytelling and intricate visuals.

Jumping between Lake Tahoe and Seattle's Columbia City Neighborhood, the film contrasts two artists as each discusses their routines in their specific fields. Rapper Chima the Stubborn serves as Duncan's counterpoint, kicking off the film as he heads in for a haircut and receives some sage advice from the barber. As Chima describes himself as "an artist's artist," demonstrating his commitment to his craft, we cut to Duncan, who reads a magnetizing poem as we view him navigating the mountains and contemplating the consequences of his actions.

The two are clearly on different paths, but it doesn't take long to realize the parallels are strong between these acts of performance. There's a limitless number of things that could go wrong and plenty of potential for embarrassment or worse, but Duncan perfectly summarizes his motivation by asking "what if?"

Much like Duncan's 2023 masterpiece "The Blackcountry Journal," there are many open-ended takeaways you might walk away with after watching this film. But perhaps the underlying theme is that the process is the only real truth. Whether it's backcountry skiing or rap, the action of preparation remains consistent, though the outcomes vary greatly. Finding a connection between two seemingly unrelated tasks is a beautiful and inspiring thing, inviting us to respect another's craft even though we might not fully understand it.

Clearly, Duncan has a knack for blending different mediums in storytelling, and hopefully, this is far from his last foray into filmmaking. As a talented skier, writer and musician, he brings a lot to the table, and we're all better off for it.

From YouTube:

LINES is an 8-minute experimental short ski film exploring the moments before performance—where fear turns into belief. Follow skier Mallory Duncan and Seattle rapper Chima the Stubborn as their journeys unfold side by side, blending backcountry skiing, original music, and raw emotion.

Directed by: Josh Goldsmith

Written by: Mallory Duncan

Starring: Mallory Duncan & Chima the Stubborn

Cinematography by: Ben Ericson, Nkosi Roma, Mike Koziel, Nick Cahill, Hazen Woolson, Jake Burchmore

Edited by: DJ Scott

Produced by: Big Giant & Uhuru Mountain Collective

Executive Producers: Josh Goldsmith, Mallory Duncan, Sofia Jaramillo

Filmed in: Eastern Sierra, Lake Tahoe, and Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood