Documentary filmmaker Dana Brown sure has it good. During his entire moviemaking career he has made fun and insightful films that document subjects for which he obviously has a passion. Following in his father’s footsteps (Bruce Brown created the surf movie in 1966 with “The Endless Summer”), Dana has generated exciting documentaries about the surf culture (“Step into Liquid”) and off-road racing (“Dust to Glory”), and now, with his new film “Highwater,” he adds another work that establishes his signature technique of talking heads and wonderful footage of crashing waves being tamed by the world’s best surfers.

The film chronicles the Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters' 35th anniversary of the Triple Crown surf competition that takes place in Hawaii’s beautiful North Shore. “Highwater” showcases the ten mile stretch of shoreline that features a wild and awe inspiring assortment of waves that attracts surfers from all over the planet who all share a passion for danger.

Through one-on-one interviews, we meet some interesting and seemingly dangerous figures of the competition such as Vincent “Sonny” Garcia, the returning champion, who will be retiring after this year’s festivity. Sonny is an interesting dude who tells us, completely straight faced, that he doesn’t like all the people coming to his homeland and wishes for a hurricane to wash everyone away. It’s a no-nonsense moment, and the film is filled with them. Other people come and go, telling stories that range from interesting to boring. The best segment of the movie ponders the question “Who is Eric Haas?”—the answer is a mysterious man who just may be the best surfer in the universe.

The interviews are intercut with some great surfing footage, and the competition is chronicled meticulously. Brown must have had a thousand cameras covering the event. This is a must see for any surf fan who loves this sort of thing. If you are not a fan, it may be a tough sell. It was hard to follow who was winning which leg of the competition, and there never is anyone to clearly root for during the length of the film. It is as if you need to have some base knowledge of what is going on and who is doing what to fully appreciate the film.

“Highwater” opens a limited engagement September 3rd in New York, Maui, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco.

For more information check www.highwatermovie.com

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