The film screening at the SCMB was dope! The place was packed despite rain and everyone seemed to be enjoying the show. I didn't know the Malloy family would be featured. They reside and grew up in Ojai, CA which is my hometown. Right now they have my friend Wiley running a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project on one of their properties in the valley. I actually went to the inaugural naming party where we decided on "Stoke Grove", a play off the Krishnamurti school Oak Grove, which is also in my town. The Malloy's are a great family and a genuine breed of people. Organic food and farming are the cornerstone of how they operate. No farms, no food.
The movie was great and focused more on the soul of surfing than the actual wave riding. I appreciated all the different perspectives but it was disappointing no women were shown in the movie. The only woman was Curren's wife and she had like 10 sec of footage. This speaks to the male dominance and machismo that is hyper-present in the surf culture of California. In a movie that was more focused on the stability and essence of surf, I would have liked to see a balance of genders or cultures, but everyone was white males. I know it was all about California, and they were trying to show how surfing has bled over into other cultures like jujitsu or hot rods but come on ya'll....get yo head right!
I'm sure there are plenty of women who could have talked about what they do outside of the water.
Hayden -
ReplyDeleteExcellent critique of the film. It's far to easy to just throw shakas and be stoked on the film and its aesthetic, but I really appreciate you taking the time to consider the unseen issues as well with a critical eye. There is a SF-based group called Brown Girl Surf that could be interesting for your further research.
- Trey