Surf film examines risks, rewards of surfing

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Keala Kennelly, four-time winner of the Billabong Pro Teahupo'o, shreds a wave in "Step Into Liquid." Top Secret Productions

There is no denying the passion, the commitment and the unapologetic reverence the film's subjects have about surfing. Their musings on the subject are as thoughtful as any caught on film. Even so, trying to convey to nonsurfers what the sport means for its most devout practitioners is a near-impossible task. You're in or you're not. You get it or you don't.

"Step Into Liquid" hits Hawai'i theaters Friday. And while it might not offer any startlingly fresh insights into the minds and hearts of surfers, it does provide a diligent and impressive accounting of the breadth of the modern surfing world and the ways in which surfers of all stripes keep their passion alive.

Brown's father, Bruce, directed the seminal surf film "The Endless Summer," which captured the imagination of an emerging generation of surfers with its true-to-life portrayal of surf culture in the 1960s.

The two collaborated on the 1994 sequel, "The Endless Summer 2," and Dana Brown has written, directed and shot several surfing- and sports-related programs.

In "Step Into Liquid," Brown seems less interested in the pursuit of perfect waves and transcendent rides, and more concerned with the inarticulate, internal murmurings that draw surfers to the water.

The film supposes that the electric impulse driving professional surfers to chase waves in the death zone, known as Mavericks, is essentially the same as the slow-burn desire that keeps a school custodian surfing every single day for the past 25 years.

Surfers will no doubt relate. Nonsurfers, at the very least, will not be bored.

"It's probably one of the best surfing films in a decade because it appeals to everybody," says Randy Rarick, director of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and one of several surf aficionados interviewed for the piece. "It's not a surf movie; it's a surf film, and that's really the difference. ...

Layne Beachley, who has been women's world champion of surfing several times over, transcends water and air in the treacherous Teahupo'o, Tahiti, break in a scene from "Step Into Liquid." Top Secret Productions

The film offers telling glimpses into the lives of surfers in unique locales — from tow-in crews who chase the world's most dangerous waves, to Texas amateurs who surf the wakes of supertankers in the Gulf of Mexico.

In Tahiti, Brown and his crew follow top women surfers such as Rochelle Ballard (who provided the movie's title) and Layne Beachley as they confront the legendary Teahupo'o.

In Ireland, they capture the prodigal Malloy brothers (Chris, Keith and Dan) as they share their love of surfing with a group of Catholic and Protestant kids.

The broad scope of the film makes for some unevenness in the presentation, but the quality of the surf footage, Brown's overall strong writing and a particularly strong set of interviews compensate nicely.

Brown, who handles narration duties, sets the tone early:

"Without doubt, the best surfers in the world are dolphins (followed by seals and pelicans)," he says. "Humans, in comparison, suck because we need boards, wax, wetsuits, we panic easy and we're always convinced we're just about to drown. Somehow that doesn't stop us, because hell or high water we're out there."

Brown assembled a panel of experts who have invested much thought to surfing and who —

despite "X-Files" creator Chris Carter's warning that the more you say about surfing the worse off you are — aren't shy in their attempts to describe the indescribable.

Commentary comes from pragmatic Robert Beaton ("Waves are where you find them"), philosophical Larry Williams ("The stoke is a global thing"), metaphysical Steve Hawk ("Ocean waves are the only (waves) at a human scale"), and Yogi Berra-esque Gerry Lopez ("You're thinking, 'I'm going to die.' But most times you don't.")

"It's a beautiful film," says Jesse Billauer, one of the featured surfers. "It really allows you to see all the different angles of surfing and all of the happiness and joy that surfers experience."

Billauer's short segment provides one of the film's most bittersweet statements about the risks and rewards of surfing. The 24-year-old Malibu resident was paralyzed in a surfing accident in 1996.

"I was riding a barrel and the lip hit me behind," he says of the accident. "I couldn't get my hands up in time, and my head just hit the bottom."

An ardent surfer since age 9, Billauer was preparing to turn professional when the accident hit. The impact severed his spinal cord, leaving him without the use of his legs and hands. It would be three difficult years before he would get on a surfboard again.

"I didn't really think about it, because I had other things to do," Billauer says. "I knew I would do it again when the time was right."

The right time came in 1999. With the help of close friend Rob Machado, Billauer returned to Cardiff Reef, across the street from his house, and managed to catch a few waves lying flat on his board and steering with his shoulders and torso.

Billauer, who is in town this week for an advance showing of the film, says he and his friends surf about once a week. The rest of his time is spent working with the Life Rolls On Foundation (www.liferollson.org), which he established to help raise awareness of spinal cord injuries and to raise money for research.

Though Billauer was never able to achieve the professional surfing career that he had once envisioned so clearly, at least one of his dreams has been realized.

"I saw 'The Endless Summer' when I was little and I always wanted to be in it," he says. "So it was really great to be able to work with Dana and the whole crew. They're wonderful people."