The best films all seem to have a certain timeless feel. Maybe all the best works of art have that; I remember a quote by André Malraux claiming that exceptional art is an ‘anti-destin’, as if it could transcend the moment in which it was created. It is as if it has an anti-ageing process which means that it avoids being pinned down to a particular period and always remains relevant. So even if Picasso’s Guernica is rooted in 1937 and the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War, it could have been painted yesterday. Or tomorrow for that matter. If we expand that idea to surf films and in particular the movies I have previously raved about here on ‘Olu Olu’, then they too have that lack of the ephemeral. I recently discussed the Mick Waters films Believe and Little Black Wheels. When do you think it was actually made? The 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s? Or last year? I actually had to dig out my dusty copy to find out. Whether the surfers involved are riding the most modern surfboard or the most primitive piece of wood imaginable, there is no impression of fleeting fashion; rather something durable and significant. A mark of true quality.
It was with real expectation that I approached the recent film by Nathan Oldfield called ‘Seaworthy’. Oldfield has built a reputation for making contemporary classics like ‘Morning of the Earth’. Within ten seconds of watching we are aware of his distinct style, with the simplicity of the opening words, the mellow music, the beautifully crafted images and the usual suspects (Tom Wegener, Dave Rastovich, Beau Young and Belinda Peterson-Baggs et al). Yet this initial veneer of apparent simplicity actually masks something much more profound and complex. Take for example Tom Wegener’s early scene on the Hawai’ian ‘olo’. The ‘olo’ is the much neglected 16 foot traditional plank of wood that is far more unwieldy than its light-weight modern-day counterpart. As a result what we watch is not radical manoeuvres in exquisitely punchy and hollow waves but a man simply trying to get to his feet and glide across an average wave. Wegener himself explains that after a while he realized: “maybe there is something ok with being difficult, even if modern day boards are all about making things easier”.
‘Seaworthy’ could well be described as the film equivalent of the ‘olo’ board. It is simple yet deceptively difficult to watch. At one stage the screen is split into four, with each quadrant worthy of centre stage. How can we watch all four at the same time? In reality, we may have to watch it more than once to appreciate the smaller details. For whatever reason, the first time I started watching the film I didn’t even make it past the first half hour. Yet by the second I was vowing to watch it again the moment I had a spare second. This cinematic version of the ‘olo’ may well be just as rewarding given time and a little effort – except getting a hold of a copy might just be a touch easier than finding a giant Hawaiian board.
Check out the trailer now!
