Highwater - DVD

Film: Dana Brown was well aware that he would be following in big footsteps when he decided to try his luck as a filmmaker like his father Bruce. After all, Bruce Brown has been considered a master of surf documentaries since his cult hit The Endless Summer. Not wanting to step out of his father's outsized shadow right away, Dana Brown's first documentary The Endless Summer Revisited consisted primarily of unused footage from the two parts of the legendary surf documentary from 1966 and 1994. It wasn't until his next film, Step into Liquid, that Dana Brown tried his hand at the genre his father had made so popular with his own material. And success with critics and audiences showed that son Dana also had a great talent for making engaging surf documentaries, a talent he tried to prove again in 2008 with Highwater.

In the film, Brown documents the Triple Crown Contest, which is held from Halloween until just before Christmas in three major contests on the legendary North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Because this area is known for its extremely dangerous waves, the contest attracts the greatest surfers from all over the world to compete in the ultimate competition. To succeed here, you must not be normal, as one of the participants tells. For example, there was a surfer who was literally scalped by another surfboard, but then just a few days later he was back on his board to now face the competition with a protective helmet.

Brown gets up close and personal with his camera, not only showing spectacular surf scenes, but also interviewing well-known and lesser-known competitors, legends and up-and-coming stars of the scene, who talk about the Triple Crown contest, but also about the drastic changes in the sport of surfing over the years. And these are not always as positive as the fact that the women's contest is now also extremely highly regarded by fans and professionals alike. The footage and conversations, however, not only capture the surfers' passion for their sport and the enthusiasm with which they repeatedly put themselves in mortal danger. The film also shows the darker side of extreme sports, from injuries to the fatal accident of Malik Joyeux. At the same time, the conversations make it very clear why surfers don't let such tragedies stop them from continuing to take extreme risks and how, when they brave danger, injury or even disability, they can even become true role models for the next generation.

Overall, Highwater doesn't turn out to be quite as spectacular and engaging as Step into Liquid. But the numerous fantastic surf sequences and the nevertheless very good and extensive insight into this very special scene of extreme athletes makes the documentary worth watching even for those viewers who would never mess with the gigantic waves on the North Shore themselves.

Image + Sound: The quality of the footage varies significantly. At times the footage is very grainy and a bit washed out, at other times it is very sharp and clean. Since this seems to be part of the style of the production at times at least, it doesn't really stand out as a negative. Stereo audio is dominated by the well-mixed interviews and music. The fact that the waves do not crash in the great surround sound through the living room, can be absolutely forgiven. Good!

Extras: In addition to the trailer, there is a bonus just under 4 minutes tribute to Dana Brown's legendary father Bruce and his classic Endless Summer.

Conclusion: Highwater is not quite as engaging and spectacularly directed as Dana Brown's first surf documentary Step into Liquid, but the film about the legendary Triple Crown contest on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii is well worth seeing. The documentary presents itself on DVD in a decent technical realization, the bonus material is very meager, but worth seeing. If you are into extreme surfing and want to learn more about the contest in Hawaii, you should definitely check out this movie. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp