Sea of Darkness (2008)

The story of surfing pioneers Martin Daly's and Dave Burnett's days in Bali during the 1970s.

Director:

Michael Oblowitz

Writer:

Michael Oblowitz

Stars:

Martin Daly, Jeffery David Chitty, Peter McCabe

Cast

Credited cast:
Martin Daly	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeffery David Chitty	...	Himself
Peter McCabe	...	Himself

Storyline

Time: 1970's. Place: the Indonesian coast. For a small group of thrill-seekers, surfing was an addiction, an attitude, and way of life - one that sometimes was seen through the lens of psychedelics. In SEA OF DARKNESS, a group of ragtag surfers coast from high tide to high risk led by man shrouded in mystery of near-mythical proportions. As they balance their thirst for the perfect pipeline with the dangerous risk/reward of smuggling illegal drugs and other illicit items across the South Pacific. Though it's a tale almost too wild for fiction, SEA OF DARKNESS recaptures the life and attitude of this wild '70s surfing culture. Bolstered by interviews with those who got their thrills and lived to tell the tale, director Michael Oblowitz recaptures how passion gave way to persecution and how romance was ultimately defeated by reality. The nearly inconceivable story of these young surfers will connect with the adventurer in us all, but it also makes us reflect upon how much people will ...

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Plot Keywords:

surfing

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Tracks

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deco Entertainment, Instinctive Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 85 min (European Film Market)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Won The Surfer Poll Award 2010.

User Reviews

Fear & loathing - the surfers version {Michael Oblowitz}

An interesting hybrid of surf movie - the waves that Kahuna dreamt about - a surfers El Dorado with documentary realism blended with the fictions of and nightmare scenarios of exotic locations and the narcotic world of the glorious search for the ultimate wave, evolving into the criminal milieu of smuggling and bounties of cash, terminating in broken dreams and disaster, but redeemed by the specter of majestic waves, which unify all the disparate themes. Oblowitz, certainly warms to his subject, leading the viewer on a descent into the under-life and beyond, telling his tale in an entertaining and at the same time morally instructive manner - the viewer feels that the experience is both worthwhile and stimulating - especially with this well constructed documentary's tale of human weakness and it's consequences.