“Welcome to Hell” we hear early on in this documentary, uttered by the goth actor at the entrance to the dark ride at Wildwood Beach. But that, of course, is meant as a joke. In fact, the Wildwood boardwalk in New Jersey is a recreational and vacation paradise. A husband on holiday here with his wife calls it “a little piece of utopia”. Apart from him, the directors interviewed exclusively women, to hear what they have to say about themselves and the world, their dreams and hopes in life. Older ladies love the fine sand and the clear water of the “fountain of (their) youth”, Wildwood. For teenagers enjoying their first vacation without parental supervision, dates at the boardwalk are the best part. And young women, just a few years older, talk about sexual experiences, pregnancy and abortion.
Shot on Super 8 by an entirely female crew, ‘Wildwood, NJ’ is a fresh and vivid time capsule of the world and life plans of young American women during the nineties. But under the blazing sun and the nightly neon hurly-burly of rides, fairground barkers and booths, the film also takes note of the underbelly of the “Wildwood Days” so many have sung about.

USA 1994, directed by Ruth Leitman, Carol Weaks Cassidy , 59 min

Short film: Video Days, USA 1991, directed by Spike Jonze, 24 min