In the new surf movie The Kangs, Mick Fanning, Mason Ho and Gabriel Medina journey to the Australian outback to chase slabs. By all accounts, it was an ordeal, from “vermin-infested cabins in the middle of nowhere,” to a diet consisting primarily of two-minute noodles, sausages in bread and cheese sandwiches. In the end, it’s an entertaining view of three of the world’s best surfers bonding while they do what they do best.
“I realized we’re not in Hawaii, and I have no idea what’s out here,” says Mason Ho in voice-over during the Outback mission. The sequence is filmed in black and white, a stylistic decision that sort of mirrors the pre-dawn grogginess of preparing for an early morning session. Then, when the trio hits the water, Kangs switches to searing color, just like the moment an icy duck-dive shakes off the cobwebs. This happens for the entire movie, flipping between black and white for the land-based sequences and vivid color for the surfing. It’s an effective motif that emphasizes the stark contrast between who we are on land, and what we become in the water.
Though the colorful water sequences are electrifying, the black and white clips of Medina, Ho and Fanning on land provide an equally entertaining look into three incredibly skilled surfers just hanging out with each other. Later on in the film, Mason echoes that same sentiment. “That was like the stuff I dream of, just at home or in life,” he says. “Those kind of sessions, couldn’t believe it. Not one person around or out and surfing with those two guys. They’re not only surfing world champions, they’re human world champions.”
