Staring: Rasta, Dick Van Staalen, The Fitzgeralds, Steve Cooney, Damon Harvey, Asher Pacey, Timmy Turner, Travis Potter, Brett Schwartz, Albert Falzon, Chris Brock, Marcus Aboody, Beau Young, Nat Young, Sketch Holiday, Neal Purchase Junior, Andrew Kidman, Dave Kelly, Joe Larkin, The Duke, Kyuss King, Mat Mchugh

Music: Andrew Kidman, Band of Frequencies, Nicko, Afro Dizzi Act, Milton Brown, Birds from Windy Hill, Will Corner, The beautiful Girls.

Producer: Little House Production
Country: Australia
Year: 2007
Format: NTSC
Languages: English

Review from Tim Baker

I find it hard to escape the feeling that there is a bit of a movement, a quiet revolution even, afoot in the surfing world. Surfers, I reckon, are beginning to reclaim their culture, after years of having it dominated by surf industry marketing material. All those ads, posters, billboards, free dvds, contests, webcasts and signature model boardshorts have been cramming the space that would otherwise be occupied by what we might call surf culture, even art. With enormous budgets, the best photographers and film makers and all star sponsored teams at their disposal, the surf companies have left little room for the humble, independent surf artists to ply their trade – like pine forests dropping their needles and smothering all other new life. But no marketing budget can buy that elusive thing called mood, or collective consciousness, those subtle, unheralded shifts in direction that grip surfing from time to time.

Look at the way the fish took off world-wide. Surf label marketing managers could only dream about that kind of spontaneous, global saturation acceptance of their message. The thing is, no one set out to market the fish – it just … happened, because all kinds of surfers enjoyed riding the things. It is a good indication of the way word of mouth, and surfers’ simple, everyday experiences in the water ultimately count for more than all the millions spent on sponsorship and marketing of surf product.

“Believe,” by Mick Waters strikes another blow for the common surfer, a quiet, reflective statement of pure surfing devotion, as epitomized in the lifestyles of a fascinating cast of characters. “Believe,” owes more than a passing nod to the latest film offering by Andrew Kidman, “Glass Love,: but there’s no shame in that. They are both offshoots of a growing groundswell of independent surf culture that is feeding a hunger among surfers for genuine artistic expression, unsullied by surf label spin and logo awareness. The messages in “Believe” are simple and timeless – ride whatever kind of board fires your imagination, regardless of design fashion trends. Respect your elders, tend to the young, cherish the everyday, do what you love. It’s refreshing to see the great soul surf documenter Andrew Kidman on the other side of the lens for a change, explaining his philosophies on surf, music, art, design and family, and witness him ripping on his fish with a raw power and style that belies his gentle art making sensibilities.

As well as the illuminating Rasta, Albe Falzon, Chris Brock, Neal Purchase and Kidman sections, there are also insightful vignettes on the Fitzgeralds, Steve Cooney and Damon Harvey, Beau and Nat Young, legendary board builder Joe Larkin, innovative photographer Dave Kelly and Matt McHugh from the Beautiful Girls. There are the pervading themes of inter-generational surfing, and the stoke of passing on your love of the ocean to your kin, and more exploration of the surfing/music synergy. But this film also has something poignant to say about loss and how great art can be born from grief, and that’s a precious message to share.

There are also more than a few nuggets of surfing wisdom passed on along the way. Lennox elder and one of the stars of Morning of the Earth, Chris Brock, 58, and still charging the point on his own shapes, reflects: “My dad used to say to me, ‘I’ve worked all my life and I’m still at square one. It makes you wonder what life’s about. I think maybe son it’s about going out and doing things you like doing and enjoying it.’”

And Terry Fitzgerald, enjoying a new burst of shaping inspiration thanks to his talented surfing sons riding his ‘70sboards, points out: “Surfing needs to have variables, it needs to have variation. It needs to have more than just … the high performance side of the sport because surfing is more than 10 points and $100,000. For most people it’s a take off, two turns and a wipe out and that’s what they’ve got to get through the week.”

There are those, no doubt, who will recoil with horror at the ongoing progress of the great soul surf caravan. But, for mine, it’s all a refreshing shift in focus from pro tour exertions and mass-marketed surf heroes. The nuevo soul movement sometimes seems in danger of becoming just another contrived marketing vehicle to sell product to the masses, but in quiet, humble, under-stated but intriguing offerings like this one, we can still glimpse the magic at the core of the surfing lifestyle without taint or spin.

Go on, drop your cynicism and allow yourself the slow creep of goose bumps over your skin or a shiver up your spine and enjoy the ride. I, for one, am more than happy to believe.