With dozens of documentary film credits under her belt—many with titles like “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” and “Last Days in Vietnam”—Rory Kennedy may not be the first name that comes to mind when you hear there’s a new film out about surfing bad boy Laird Hamilton.
By digging deep into Hamilton’s history, including wading through hundreds of hours of archival footage of Hamilton’s early years surfing and growing up in Hawaii, Kennedy and her team weave together a subtle profile of a single-minded man driven almost to obsession as he takes on increasingly terrifying challenges in the surfing world.
But the Academy Award nominated director/producer managed to make the starkly honest portrayal of a complicated man who grew up—and in many ways still lives—on the outskirts of mainstream society… fun.
And Kennedy knows it.
Before a screening of the documentary, “Take Every Wave,” at the Malibu Film Society on Sunday, Dec. 3, Kennedy told the audience she was happy to be able to ask them to “enjoy” one of her films, for once.
But Kennedy said the profile isn’t so far outside her wheelhouse as one may think.
“I would say it’s unusual, you know—I mostly focus on pretty hard hitting social issue films, so this, in that sense, was an anomaly, but at the same time, it appealed to me,” Kennedy explained in an interview with The Malibu Times. “It’s understanding why somebody would tackle 100-foot waves and why somebody pushes the limits on something—and that’s sometimes in politics, or in some cases overcoming enormous obstacles, but kind of looking at what seems to be the limits of human capacity, and somebody breaking through that is a story.”
Kennedy, a Malibu resident for nearly a decade, said the film is also a love letter to the ocean and to those who love it.
“I really loved making this film, and I have such an appreciation of Laird’s love of the ocean,” she said. “I share that love—[though] I can’t say I share it at such a same level.
“I just got back from Thanksgiving and we spent every day on the ocean with a high of 37 degrees,” Kennedy went on. “It’s hard and it’s cold and it’s unpleasant and it’s beautiful and it’s awe-inspiring and it’s fantastic. It’s a mix of all those things. I appreciate surfers’ appreciation for the ocean.”
On top of extensive interviews with Hamilton’s friends, mentors, family and associates—estranged and otherwise—are stunning shots of surfers taking on some of the most impressive surf breaks in the world.
For the many in Malibu for whom Laird Hamilton is a household name—he himself is a part-time Malibu resident of many years—Kennedy suggested taking a look at the film to get a deeper understanding of the real man behind one of the biggest names in the history of surfing.
“He’s contributed to this community and he’s lived here for many years, and I think many of us who have lived here have had some exposure to him, whether it’s on the water or land,” Kennedy said. “I know there’s a range of feelings about him, but I do think it’s worthwhile to take the time and watch the film and maybe have a different understanding after. It’s a complicated portrait of him, and it embraces the nuance.”
