Review of Surfwise (2007) by Luke G — 06 May 2008

SURFWISE tells the story of Dorian Paskowitz, a Stanford medical grad who threw a life of material wealth and fame in the medical field away for his family and for the chance to surf every day for the rest of his life.

Imagine selling all your belongings and cramming your nine kids and your wife into a camper, and then setting out to live a life on the road, stopping only to surf the open seas wth your eight sons and daughter at your side.

What would happen along the way, what challenges would arise, and what would the consequences be of living such a life as that? The film does not gloss over the drama that would undoubtlingly befall a family under such unordinary circumstanctes, and it mostly holds back in its worship of such a lifestyle by showing how the Paskowitz children have faired in life now that they are all grown up, and trying to make a living without any formal education.

The most amazing special effect in the film is definatley the crashing waves and those who would dare risk to ride them. It is there that the gracefullness and ferocity of nature is revealed and courageous people try to escape for only a moment, the life of responsibility and consequence that we all must face at one point in our lives or another.

The heart of this film is fashioned in a father's enduring love for his family, and though he is by no means perfect, some might even say he's crazy, his motivation for leading his family on such an adventure, with its fair share routed in selfishness and control, is founded in some true senses of love and carying.

Any surfer should find this film both interesting and enjoyable.