SURFWISE (2008)

by Dave White

Who's in It: Damien "Doc" Paskowitz

The Basics: Documentary about Damien Paskowitz M.D. and his decision to ditch normal family life in the 1960s to live as a nomadic, raw-foods-consuming, extreme-voluntary-poverty-loving hippie surfer. That he and his wife raised nine surfer children in a 24-foot-long RV (no school, no money, no boundaries, no outside-world socialization) only made it weirder. They were seen as examples of bohemian freedom at the time, but as the now-grown children explain, it wasn't exactly as groovy as it might seem to the outside world.

What's the Deal? While not nearly as freaked out and horrifying as Capturing the Friedmans, this movie isn't afraid to show you the dark side of "freedom," especially when it comes to raising children. Paskowitz is seen as a man in his mid eighties with few apparent regrets about the cult-like, sometimes physically abusive surf-dictatorship he ran in the never-not-rolling (or rocking — more on that in a second) RV. According to one of the adult children, they weren't so much raised by wolves as "raised as wolves."

About That Rocking: Doc, it turns out, was — and maybe still is — a really horny guy. Early in the movie, he discusses how he went on a sex-education quest as a strapping young surfer, doing it with as many women as possible and devising a score for each one. When he found one who scored a "93" on his chart, he married her. And they had loud sex every night in that RV, no matter that the kids were trying to sleep nearby, often in the same bed.

Results: Nine adults with no education or social skills, estranged from their parents and often from each other but for the most part now living functional and reasonably happy lives, give or take some moments of seemingly seething rage.

Verdict: It's not so much that the movie lets Doc off the hook as it is just too fascinated by him to judge him harshly for his weird, destructive family experiment. Somehow even the huggy ending doesn't feel wrong.

CRITICS' REVIEWS SOURCE RATING THE GIST POSITIVE REVIEWS FOR SURFWISE Hollywood Reporter N/A "… makes for a buoyant viewing experience …" New York Times N/A "… wonderfully engaging look at love and family and the relentless pursuit of happiness, personal meaning and perfect waves." TV Guide 3 stars/4 "… clear-eyed and even-handed …" MIXED REVIEWS FOR SURFWISE Variety N/A "With so many personalities on tap — including disapproving relatives and admiring surf-world pros — it's not surprising that the pic either short-changes or skims over the adult troubles of some siblings." Village Voice N/A "… a mesmerizingly ambivalent documentary …"