Breath (2017)

This is the feature directing debut of Simon Baker, probably best known as the star of The Mentalist.  It’s a gently paced, elegantly filmed, coming-of-age drama, set in the 1970s, in a small town on the Western Australian coast.  It centers on two teenage boys whose lives are transformed after they come into contact with an enigmatic ace surfer.  On one hand, the movie looks at the appeal and attraction of surfing; on the other, it touches on the themes of thrill-seeking, risk-taking, masculinity, fear, and role models.  The movie tells its story with sincerity and sensitivity, and I liked it a lot.

I must point out that there is one scene in particular, late in the movie, that some viewers might find disturbing and maybe unnecessary.  That’s an integral part of the source novel.  Though I haven’t yet read the novel, by all accounts, the movie has considerably toned down or eased out its darker elements.

Here’s a link to the trailer.