CineVegas 2009

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 truly risk to hang on to what they love.