Drift (2013)

Drift is an Australian film based loosely on true events of two brothers during the 1970s and the birth and rise of the surf industry in Western Australia. Determined to escape a life of factory work and petty crime, Andy (Myles Pollard) and his wayward surf prodigy younger brother Jimmy (Xavier Samuel) decide to start their own surfing brand called 'Drift', which produces custom wetsuits and new shorter surfboards. Initially the business creates some excitement amongst the local surfing community, but the challenges of living in a conservative town begin to hinder their growth. They must overcome pressure from the local police, banks and even a gang of drug dealing bikers. It's surprising to also see 'Avatar' and 'Terminator: Salvation' star, Sam Worthington play a hippy drifter in a supporting role, who is supposed to represent the era's anti-establishment vibe.

A lot of people are reluctant to watch Australian films as they are viewed by many as cheap and 'crap'. I had a similar view many years ago, but if you actually give them a chance, you will be surprised how many quality films have been made and don't receive the attention they deserve. Australia has produced an abundance of surfing movies and documentaries over the years, with its rich culture and history in contributing to the industry. This is the first time that I am aware of a movie focusing on the involvement in Western Australia however, as the attention is usually targeted along the east coast.

This was a really pleasant surprise for me and has left me thinking about it for days after. Not that it was a mind blowing film, or one of the best Australian films made. Far from it. I just felt it was the perfect 'Aussie' film, compared to Baz Luhrmann's big budget flop 'Australia', which gave such a forced representation of the stereotypical Australian outback. Very different films I know, but this just seemed so real and authentic in contrast.

Once again I hope I haven't hyped this up too much, but having entered into it with such little expectations, I really enjoyed it. Some of it is still pretty cheesy and the acting is a mixed bag. I thought the soundtrack was a standout featuring so many local bands, complementing the themes of the film. Considering the small budget the cinematography and camera work was superb.

My Rating: 6.5/10

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Expectations for the lowish-budget Aussie surfing film Drift were not pitched overly high. My local cinema's synopsis of the story about two brothers who 'spend their youth searching for the perfect wave…(dreaming) of a world where they can surf to live and live to surf' I pretty much felt sure what I was letting myself in for.

But the film delivered more than was promised.

The film has a lively start, with the brothers as young children arriving fortuitously at the Western Australian surf town which would become their home after the cross-continent drive from Sydney where their mother had executed a tense midnight flit for the three of them to escape their drunken brute of a father.

The action quickly fast forwards to their young adulthood as they lead a laid back if dead-end lifestyle before realising they can make surfboards better than those commercially available, moulding them in the garage at their home as their seamstress mother starts fashioning custom-made wetsuits. Their ambitions to expand are constantly thwarted by a lack of funds, the myopic tendencies of the town's old world conservative bank manager and the unwanted attentions of the local constabulary suspicious of their motives and lifestyle. Matters are complicated by a feud with the local bikie-gang – also the town's drug suppliers.

A talented, itinerant and very hirsute surf filmmaker, a slightly unconvincing Sam Worthington, arrives on the scene in his bus-come-home with an attractive Hawaiian companion befriending the brothers and giving them much needed support in their constant battles with the bikies and encouragement in their enterprises.

The main characterisations within the film were well drawn. Myles Pollard gave a stand-out performance as the elder brother, Andy, whose drive and business acumen didn't impinge upon his enjoyment of the more flippant things in life. The younger, rather wayward and unreliable brother Jimmy was nicely played by Xavier Samuel with roguish charm. Their mutual attraction and rivalry for the Hawaiian girl was subtly underplayed.

The story swept along at a good pace and remained surprisingly fresh and original until the film's showdown. In debt to the bikies after becoming unwittingly involved in a drug deal by an accomplice, the boys desperately need cash they don't have. But as luck would have it, there is an upcoming major surf competition on the horizon. If only this could be won and the cash prize used to get them out of trouble…

Jimmy, the more talented surfer, has gone walkabout so it falls to Andy to register as a wild-card entrant and save both their dreams and business – as well as his unbroken legs. From that point onwards, we were in rather familiar territory.

This is a small scale film, well aware of its limitations which on the whole punched nicely above its weight. It portrayed a dark side to the sleepy coastal town to a degree I had not expected. Cinematography from Geoffrey Hall was first rate capturing the beauty and awesome power of the surf. There is enough good surfing action to please the aficionados but not at the expense of developing story and characters. A sporadic glam-rock soundtrack was insufficient, possibly the result of budget restraints.

Drift is a breezy Australian surfing film that doesn't break any new ground or take too many chances but the surfing scenes are spectacularly photographed and the performances are as colourful as the scenery. Like many local films, it is extremely well made and acted with professionalism, even when the story isn't revolutionary. The opening scenes in the Sixties are filmed in black and white. This is a fine visual touch, recalling Oz the Great and Powerful, because when the film forwards past the childhood of its central characters Andy and Jimmy and enters the 1970s, the film explodes with vivid colours being cast over a giant wave.

Riding this enormous wave is Jimmy (Xavier Samuel). Jimmy and his brother Andy (Myles Pollard) moved from Sydney to Margaret River in Western Australia with their mother Kat (Robyn Malcolm) to start a new life together. Andy works long hours in a timber mill, while his brother rides hard in professional surfing competitions. Seeing the lousy treatment of the older folks of the mill, Andy decides to quit his job and help start a surf shop with his brother, selling surfing gear like boards and wetsuits. This is at a time just prior to when surfing competitions started awarding serious prize money.

Andy is angered to discover that Jimmy has done a small time job for some local bikie crims and urges him to return any stolen material. Yet these bikie thugs refuse to leave their friends alone and one of them becomes involved in drugs. Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) plays a hippie surfer named JB, who befriends both the boys. JB's Hawaiian hippie friend Lani (Lesley-Ann Brandt) also takes a romantic shine to Andy. Beneath its sunny exterior, the film is about the relationship of these two brothers and poses the question of whether a hobby makes for a satisfying and financially sustainable living.

The film has more than sand between its ears, realising that a compromise has to be made when it comes to approaching sport as an occupation. This is reflected by JB, who has the film's funniest and smartest line: "Its Darwinian man. We adapt, we survive." It would be impolite to say that the story by Morgan O'Neill exists merely to showcase the surfing because there is more narrative than just sun. It's more of a question of the familiarity of many individual story elements.

This is very much a rerun of the underdog story: the little business that could, faced against impossible odds like evil bikies and a stuffy bank manager. The bikies are a blessing and a curse for the film. They're total caricatures but also helpful in providing some danger to the script through some flat spots, where it feels as though there could be more risk involved. The bikies handout a few thuggish beatings and there is a drug subplot, which gives the film a grittier shade in contrast to lightweight, jovial tone and relaxed, pleasant performances.

The film even retreats to that plot line where a contest is handily giving out a large monetary prize so that the little people can save the farm. Are these contests deliberately organised around places of low socioeconomics and general lucklessness? The organisers must have prior knowledge of people's banking woes, such is their convenience. I also couldn't see the necessity of the romance between the Lani and Andy. Lani serves to ties the global relations between Australian and the US neatly (in a perfectly square ending) but any potential conflict between the brothers never eventuates over her.

What many people will see the film for are the stunning, exciting and beautiful surfing sequences, which are filmed by Rick Rifici and Rick Jakovich: two highly experienced and talented water cinematographers. Filmed with great width, there are some gorgeous and hair-raising waves showcased here. The actors in the film performed some of the surfing, while real surfers were employed as stunt doubles too. An interesting fact is that despite how vivid and colourful the film is, it was actually filmed in winter so that the waves would be bigger and therefore more dramatic. They're a huge part of a great looking movie so that even when the pacing slumps or the story seems corny, it's never been so easy to dive into the surf.