Step Into Liquid

Second generation surfing documentarian Dana Brown (son to Bruce Brown, who directed The Endless Summer 2) strikes out with his own original piece of filmmaking with his 2003 ode to the world's surfing enthusiasts entitled Step Into Liquid. Part travelogue, and part attempt to redefine surfing's ...more

Step Into Liquid is an unrelentingly positive and upbeat film that offers more boosterism and hagiography (and occasional good-natured teasing) than insight into the lives of surfers. While it does show that many surfers don't conform to the stoned slacker stereotype, it doesn't really explore what makes them tick beyond stating the obvious platitudes. Also, the attempts to depict surfing as a positive social force may seem a bit much to some viewers, particularly the sequence in which the ...more