Review of Surfwise: The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family

			Surfwise: The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family By: SURFWISE: THE AMAZING PASKOWITZ FAMILY (DVD M Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 12 More Information Interesting Bit of Americana On: 2008-10-31 I found this to be an interesting documentary about a family who represents a not so standard deviation from the mean. I appreciated the fact that this film illustrated that the American dream is not all its cracked up to be. Its great to remind ourselves, in these times of economic stress, that money and things are not always the be all, end all. If this film has anything to say about it, it seems that happiness is just a wave. Don't miss this! On: 2008-10-23 not your ordinary family, but thats why its so entertaining. Surfing was and still is shaped by this family. Awsome documentry On: 2008-10-13 This is probably the best documentary Ive ever seen. Their story is fascinating, but be advised that there is frank a very graphic language not suitable for younger viewers. Freedom for Myself; Prison for My Children On: 2008-10-02 The charismatic doctor and surfing champion Dorian Paskowitz languishes through 2 failed marriages during the conventional 1950s before having his epiphany in which he will be a "free spirit" and travel with his third wife and 9 children like a band of surfing vagabonds. The new lifestyle is great for the father who finds sensual and spiritual fulfillment; sadly, though, its a prison for his children who must live without schooling, money for clothes, and the normal opportunity to meet kids their age. This documentary does an excellent job of showing how these children navigate precariously through their one life as celebrities of counterculture and their second life of social dysfunction and resentment toward a father who wanted unlimited freedom for himself and draconian imprisonment for his children. Proof that you don't need an SUV, a McMansion and a 401K to be happy... On: 2008-09-30 This movie should change your outlook. If it doesnt, perhaps you need to re-evaluate your priorities. Money does not buy happiness. Making Waves with an Unconventional Lifestyle On: 2008-08-08 SURFWISE is a fascinating documentary chronicling the unconventional lifestyle of "Doc" Poskowitz and his family. The latter includes spouse and some nine kids, who live a bohemian, itinerant, surf-centric lifestyle in a 24-foot camper van. No school for these kids! Nevertheless, they lived a somewhat regimented existence, one envied by kids who were more wealthy in material things. All of the kids grew up with various "baggage" due to the unorthodox upbringing, and the father is a rather magnetic, charismatic character. The cinematography here is great - you feel you are out in the ocean, in the surf, and can see how this aspect of nature would be seductive. SURFWISE raises questions about the tradeoffs involved in turning your back on the conventional path that society beckons you to follow - the good and bad features, the frayed nature of family ties, the family love that can (at least temporarily) transcend differences and childhood trauma. Whether you endorse or abhor the lifestyle depicted in this documentary, SURFWISE is an excellent movie! An Unconventional Surf-Centric Upbringing and Its Results. On: 2008-08-07 "Surfwise" chronicles the story of the "first family of surfing": Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, his wife Juliette, and the 9 children whom they raised in a 24-foot camper, traveling up and down the west coast of the United States and Mexico, following the waves and Dorians whims for more than 2 decades. Dorian Paskowitz was a respected public health doctor and president of the American Medical Association in Hawaii, before he left it all behind in 1956 to live a peripatetic life of poverty that revolved around surfing. He isolated his family from the outside world, raised his children in his strict lifestyle regimen, and taught them to surf. Many became accomplished competitive surfers, and in 1974 the family opened the Paskowitz Surf Camp in Mission Beach, CA. Dorian Paskowitz was 84 years old when "Surfwise" was made and still very much a passionate and controlling man, and still surfing. His children are all grown and living very different lifestyles from the one in which they were raised. Director Doug Pray tries to construct a picture of what it was like to be a Paskowitz, living the ideals of a single-minded patriarch in a crowded camper, and what its lasting effects were through archival home movies and interviews with Dorian and Juliette Paskowitz and all 9 of their children -7 boys and 1 girl- and Dorians siblings. We also get an impression of the familys iconic stature and influence on surfing culture through interviews with "The Surfers Journal" founder Steve Pezman and some big names in competitive surfing. The Paskowitz children talk about the benefits and disappointments of their itinerant, impoverished lifestyle, isolated from most of American culture. They dont all have the same attitude toward it, in retrospect, some resenting that their isolation and lack of education left them unprepared for adult life. I would have thought children in such a bohemian environment would be very independent, but their fathers controlling nature apparently dictated otherwise. "Surfwise" is an interesting account for fans of surfing culture, but this is, more than anything, the story of a family. Its an examination of the value of nonconformity and convention, selfishness and freedom, in the way families relate to one another and the ways in which upbringing may or may not influence the choices people make. The DVD (Magnolia 2008): There are 4 featurettes and a feature commentary. In "Doc on Health" (5 min), Dorian Paskowitz explains his ideas on health, about which he has written a book. "A Walk on Water: Surfers Healing" (3 ½ min) is about the surfing program for autistic children founded by Izzy Paskowitz and wife Danielle. "Dave Homcy: Surfing Cinematographer" (3 1/2 min) is footage of surfers set to music. "Outtakes and Breaks" (12 min) are interviews not in the film, including some funny ones. The feature commentary is by director Doug Pray, producer Matt Weaver, and Salvador Paskowitz. They discuss the genesis of the project, the archival footage, Dorian and his philosophy, the family dynamic, and more. Subtitles for the film are available in Spanish. Not what I was expecting. On: 2008-08-05 I picked up this DVD thinking that it was going to be a lighthearted look at a family that I knew of from the time I was a youngster. I grew up surfing in San Diego, and used to see the ads for the Paskowitz Surf Camp in the back of just about every surf magazine I ever purchased. I always wanted to attend, but ended up buying a board and teaching myself instead. What I found was the story of a very strange family. Sometimes their life looks so wonderful it makes me want to get a camper and take my kids away from the materialism and lunacy we experience in modern life. Other times are dark, contradictory and a bit disturbing. What I took away from this amazing dissection of a unique family was to affirm my feeling that everything in moderation is the way to live. I also will be more careful about avoiding attempts to control people in my life. Highly recommended. Fascinating portrait of an unusual family on the fringe of society On: 2008-07-31 "Surfwise" is another fascinating feature-length documentary by filmmaker Doug Pray, who has made several amusing, enlightening films on pop-culture sub-groups such as the Seattle grunge scene ("Hype") and hip-hop DJ turntabulists ("Scratch"). In this new film he paints a one-third celebratory, two-thirds tragic portrait of the Paskowitz family, a once-legendary surfing clan whose patriarch, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz dropped out of mainstream society in the late 1950s, to follow a near-absolute rejection of modern materialism. Paskowitz and his wife traveled anywhere on a whim for over a decade, surfing up and down the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of North America, surfing, having lots of sex and making lots of babies. In all, the Paskowitzes had nine children, eight boys and one girl, and raised them outside the confines of "straight" life. Instead of going to school, the children surfed, and were reared according to their fathers bold, yet ill-defined personal ethic. Although Docs decision to drop out preceded the hippie movement by almost a decade, his familys journey intersected with the 1960s hippie-era rejection of cultural norms, and with the "Me Generation" self-absorption of the 70s. But while these larger cultural shifts were widespread, the choices of the Paskowitz family were much more far-reaching and severe than most of the counterculture types of the time. With no fixed income and a total abandonment of the American work ethic, the Paskowitzes were both legendary and tragic. As the children came of age, the strains of traveling together in a small camper intensified, and the family fragmented and fell apart. Just how much they fell apart is revealed in the films second half, which skillfully explores the dark side of Docs impulsive and absolutist philosophical rejectionism. Each of the (now grown-up) children reflect on the internal pressures (and joys) of their extreme lifestyle, and how completely unprepared it left them to make their own entry into adult life. Although the Paskowitzes dominated surf competitions in the early 1970s -- and got considerable media attention and corporate sponsorship -- because they were so naive about money matters, none of them held onto the money or the opportunities they made, and their professional careers largely fizzled out. Many of the children rightfully express their anger towards their parents for leaving them stranded without education or options, and the film is a fascinating reflection on the potential hazards of extreme alternative lifestyles. Although Doc Paskowitz clearly shoulders much of the blame, he remains a roguish and compelling figure. Many of his critiques of modern society are pointed and incisive, and his candid assessments of consumerism, wage slavery and sexual repression are attractive due to his bluntness and accuracy. It is a complex portrait, and doesnt offer easy answers to the viewer, but rather many disturbing points to ponder. Definitely worth checking out. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Film Reviews) Terrific documentary about an unconventional family On: 2008-07-05 Anyone looking for a glorious ode to the surfing life should pause a moment before viewing this terrific documentary film about life in the Paskowitz family. Although surfing was the stated main focus of this highly unconventional familys life, its not the center of the story thats revealed in the film. Kudos to the filmmakers, who peel back the layers of the story gradually until you gather the sense of the awfulness at the center. We see a life that on the face of it might appear appealing -- who hasnt at some time or other wished for a more authentic life? What if we could slip the rules of the prevailing society? What if we werent forced to be educated in institutional settings? This film and all the Paskowitz children, who thankfully are brave enough to speak of what they endured at the whims of two of the most narcissistic parents youll ever meet, will give some answers to those questions. Abundant with archival footage that makes the past come alive, the film also gives us interviews with everyone in the family that will resonate with you for a long time after you view it. You may well be left with lots of questions after its over, but one is very happy to see that the kids seem to have made good lives for themselves despite the bad models that were their parents. In any case, this is a film for anyone who loves good documentary filmmaking -- you dont have to know anything about surfing to appreciate this one. Abuse & Dysfunction Masquerading & Surfing & Enlightenment On: 2008-06-21 This movie is not about surfing and the magic, spirituality, and beauty of surfing. Ive surfed for over 40 years. What I thought started out as a video of an epic odyssey of the magic and spiritualality of surfing and the surfing lifestyle, became a chronicle about a self absorbed and abusive man engaged in denial and cover up of severe dysfunction. I dont have any quarrel with raising and home schooling kids outside the system, a healthy active sex life, discipline, and surf, surf, surfing. I think these are goals to aspire to. I assert that there was and is a very very dark side to Dorian and his family life that revealed itself in episodes where he encouraged one child to choke another. That is just completely unacceptable. Such psychology and behavior only sullies the reputation of surfing and surfers and reinforces the unfortunate stereotypes that many people have about surfing and surfers. I suspect that if we pull the cover completely off the Poskowitz family wed find severe child abuse of the sort intolerable to all but predators. I loved Surfwise On: 2008-05-14 This documentary was amazing! It leaves you with an interesting new perspective on life and just goes to show how much we can learn from others (no matter how strange they may seem to be)! This father of multiple children takes his family on the road to escape the traditions and pressures of ordinary life. They live a very different life and raise their children on very different principles, including...no school! Watch this film, everyone should see it!