Over the years the surf movie has evolved into it’s own documentary sub-genre, so rather than hours of 8mm grainy wave shots, it’s nice to see an addition that adds some historical and social commentary to the mix.
Set in 1975, Bustin’ sees the arrival in Hawaii of a disparate group of Australian and South African Surfers, overjoyed to discover the amazing island waves, but its happiness which is soon tempered due to escalating conflict with the locals.
Set during a surprisingly dangerous period in surf history, this is a revealing and enlightening look at the culture, and culture clash which saw Hawaii cement its reputation as an old school surf Mecca. Impressive archive footage is predominant, and the characters involved are thoroughly explored, although there’s a sad lack of any current updates on the lives of these former beach heroes.
Death threats and violence from the locals impinging on the laid back, if brash surfer culture makes for a fascinating dynamic, although the immersion in the language of the time is such that those with an aversion to water will struggle to keep up.
Ultimately, this is an interesting time-capsule, but again, a look at present day developments would have improved proceedings immensely. None the less, it’s an involving look at the extent some will go to in order to catch some waves.
