I hadn't/haven't read the book. My ideas about the themes and the story come entirely from seeing this film. It was about boys/young men and the influences and pressures on them when they are attaining "manhood" and what that involves, learning to say "no" to outside pressures and to stand on your own two feet and to decide what is right for you. The 2 leads were not actors, but their performances are terrific. Very natural and believable. "Loony" delivered some funny lines perfectly and conveyed behaviours consistent with his nickname with reckless abandon, but there were reasons in his life that drove his behaviour. Neither his lines nor his conduct were really funny when you thought about it afterwards (and I did think about the themes afterwards which, to me, highlights that a movie was good) The other boy "Pikelet" was a more cautious, thoughtful type and launching himself onto waves wasn't something that came naturally to him, he had to overcome his fears to give it a go. The character showed by his face the conflict of wanting to conform against his natural personality, quite an achievement for an actor, but for a non-actor even more so. The performances by the 2 young leads no doubt is attributable to Simon Baker's direction and he did a great job showing what was "going on" with the characters under the surface.

Both boys meet Sando, Simon Baker's character and he teaches them about surfing and taking risks on the water, how waves behave and that sort of thing. By their interactions with Sando and his American wife, who is depressed and frustrated after an injury, the boys also learn more about life and people. The story spans several years as the boys "grow up". I'm not into surfing, but the surfing scenes were "just right" not a second too long or boring to me as a non-surfer, visually stunning and interesting to watch and advancing the story. This isn't "light-hearted" entertainment, but if you want to see a beautifully shot story about people and what "makes them tick" and the influences on young boys/men, go to see it.

What a gorgeous piece of cinema! Not just the stunning landscapes treated with stunning cinematography but the authenticity of felt human experience communicated in simple narrative and dramatic terms. Forget the genre antics, forget the auteur pretentiousness, forget the arthouse poseurs. Tim Winston's brilliantly realistic story meets a brilliantly realistic cinematic treatment by all involved, Simon Baker proving that authentic lived experience is the best guide to inform directorial duties. He treats the story and its themes like a true local Aussie who's totally at home with the story and the characters that populate it. To his immense credit he's made no attempt to trade off the authenticity of this Australian story for a more internationalised market driven approach. And this sticking to the true spirit of Winston's story pays the ultimate dividend: treating the viewer to a range of universal themes about friendship, growing up, the role of the natural environment in our lives etc. Cinematic Occam's Razor at its best. Keep it simple, keep it true, keep it pure. A beautiful film, visually and emotionally, unpretentious and authentic. Many Aussie directors have gone to Hollywood to make it happen. Simon Baker comes home to do it and does it superbly. Mr Baker, more please!

Ignoring the possible, but incongruous side show of sex between a 20s something wife? and a high schooler, the movie portrays the lives of two Aussie teens. Filled w/cussing and still riding bikes to get around they discover the rush of big wave surfing. Starting w/styrofoam boards and working their way up w/the help of an ex-pro surfer the five star worthy highlights are shots of coastal ocean beauty, and the intelligent conversational life emboldening eruditions sprinkled throughout the movie.