A little while ago, I heard about a new surf documentary called Ground Swell: The Other Side of Fear. Now, I hear a lot about a lot of surf documentaries, so at first my interest wasn’t all that piqued. Then I saw who was involved with the project and couldn’t wait to watch it. Well, after a successful theatrical run across the globe, the Monster Energy-produced Big Wave Surfing Documentary Ground Swell: The Other Side of Fear is now on all major digital download and rental platforms worldwide.
Produced by the award-winning Paul Taublieb (Fastest, Unchained: The Untold Story of Freestyle Motocross, and producer of Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau), Ground Swell is “an in-depth look at the 2021-22 big wave season through the eyes of Nic von Rupp, Kai Lenny, Matt Bromley, Torrey Meister, and pioneering female surfer Bianca Valenti.” It follows them as they push the limits of what’s possible at Nazaré, Jaws, Pipeline, and Maverick’s. And the narrator’s voice echoing throughout? It’s Josh Brolin. I caught up with Brolin to get his thoughts on the documentary, which you can read here.
It’s been widely praised by some of the biggest names in the industry. “Spectacular. Immersive. Scary. You’ll find yourself holding your breath!” said Sam George in press promotion. Matt Warshaw said it was “As satisfying as it is terrifying!”
The film has already collected a mantel full of awards, including ones from the IndoBali Film Festival (Best Documentary and Best Director), the Paradiso Film Festival, as well as the LA Documentary Film Festival. It’s still got a slew of festival rounds to make in North America but it will also be featured in the International Olympic Committee’s Sport & TV Films Festival in Milan, Italy.
“It’s an important film,” said Brolin, who also holds an Executive Producer credit on Ground Swell. “There’s something raw about it, stripped down, very human, and real. I loved being involved. It touches people’s hearts, and that’s all that matters.”
To watch Ground Swell: The Other Side of Fear, look for it on iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo on Demand, and Redbox.
