Drift - Besiege die Welle

Totally entertaining. We all know modern day culture even the surfer culture so I'll not expound on that. Just the surfing shots in this film make it a 10. Actng is excellent. At the beginning you're told: this is based on actual events, and it isn't hard to see why. We live in a world today where evil abounds... there are some good as well as bad choices in this film. Hopefully the viewers will comprehend the better decisions and if challenged in their life with such... will make the right choices. One can put all aside and just enjoy the surfing; which makes one want to leave the cities and live the life of the GREAT outdoors!

Big surf, cool 70's vibe. Give this movie a chance, make popcorn and have a beer. Excellent surf photography, beautiful, rough coastline of Australia. You will enjoy this film if you remember the big boards and OP board shorts. Goes slow but gets better just like the waves!. There are great scenes where old style cameras and wetsuits are used. The actors are good, you will recognize one of the actors from the film 'Clash of the Titans'! The plot could use some help but the feel of the film is very hippie style. There is a few drug scenes but they didn't mess that up too bad. The surfing is definitely the best. Real pros in every scene with old boards used for the film to keep it true to the time. Enjoy dude!

Expectations for the lowish-budget Aussie surfing film Drift were not pitched overly high. My local cinema's synopsis of the story about two brothers who 'spend their youth searching for the perfect wave…(dreaming) of a world where they can surf to live and live to surf' I pretty much felt sure what I was letting myself in for.

But the film delivered more than was promised.

The film has a lively start, with the brothers as young children arriving fortuitously at the Western Australian surf town which would become their home after the cross-continent drive from Sydney where their mother had executed a tense midnight flit for the three of them to escape their drunken brute of a father.

The action quickly fast forwards to their young adulthood as they lead a laid back if dead-end lifestyle before realising they can make surfboards better than those commercially available, moulding them in the garage at their home as their seamstress mother starts fashioning custom-made wetsuits. Their ambitions to expand are constantly thwarted by a lack of funds, the myopic tendencies of the town's old world conservative bank manager and the unwanted attentions of the local constabulary suspicious of their motives and lifestyle. Matters are complicated by a feud with the local bikie-gang – also the town's drug suppliers.

A talented, itinerant and very hirsute surf filmmaker, a slightly unconvincing Sam Worthington, arrives on the scene in his bus-come-home with an attractive Hawaiian companion befriending the brothers and giving them much needed support in their constant battles with the bikies and encouragement in their enterprises.

The main characterisations within the film were well drawn. Myles Pollard gave a stand-out performance as the elder brother, Andy, whose drive and business acumen didn't impinge upon his enjoyment of the more flippant things in life. The younger, rather wayward and unreliable brother Jimmy was nicely played by Xavier Samuel with roguish charm. Their mutual attraction and rivalry for the Hawaiian girl was subtly underplayed.

The story swept along at a good pace and remained surprisingly fresh and original until the film's showdown. In debt to the bikies after becoming unwittingly involved in a drug deal by an accomplice, the boys desperately need cash they don't have. But as luck would have it, there is an upcoming major surf competition on the horizon. If only this could be won and the cash prize used to get them out of trouble…

Jimmy, the more talented surfer, has gone walkabout so it falls to Andy to register as a wild-card entrant and save both their dreams and business – as well as his unbroken legs. From that point onwards, we were in rather familiar territory.

This is a small scale film, well aware of its limitations which on the whole punched nicely above its weight. It portrayed a dark side to the sleepy coastal town to a degree I had not expected. Cinematography from Geoffrey Hall was first rate capturing the beauty and awesome power of the surf. There is enough good surfing action to please the aficionados but not at the expense of developing story and characters. A sporadic glam-rock soundtrack was insufficient, possibly the result of budget restraints.

There's been plenty of surf films and documentaries over the years, and if you're a surfer or surfing fan, no doubt you've seen them all. Drift is the latest surf film paying tribute to and giving us a glimpse into the Australian surf life when popular surf brands were just beginning.

Set in Western Australia in the early 1970's, Drift is the story of surfer brothers Andy and Jimmy Kelly (Myles Pollard and Xavier Samuel). Andy is dissatisfied with working long hours at the local mill, while trying to keep younger brother Jimmy from a life of crime. With help from their mother Kat (Robyn Malcolm), and childhood friend Gus (Aaron Glenane), they start a surf shop in their backyard garage, making custom-made wetsuits and new surfboards.

Along the way they meet and get inspiration from surfer photographer/filmmaker JB (Sam Worthington) and his Hawaiian friend Lani (Lesley-Ann Brandt). Their success and hard work comes at a price though as they deal with members of the community who are not ready for their innovative ideas and trouble from a violent bikie gang.

The acting is fine all round. Myles Pollard, who also co-produced the film, is solid as the responsible older brother. Xavier Samuel, in one of his best performances, brings charisma and energy to his role. Sam Worthington is excellent. He is perfect as the free-spirited hippie. He seemed to enjoy this role more than some of his recent work and it was wonderful to see him in an Aussie film again.

The film does a great job of bringing the 70's back to life. You gotta love JB's colourful bus and the classic kombi vans! The surfing photography is exciting and breathtaking, and the cinematography by Geoffrey Hall is simply beautiful. The soundtrack, a mix of 70's classics and more recent tunes, really adds to the cool laid back vibe.

Directed by Ben Nott and Morgan O'Neill, Drift is well-paced and there's a lovely balance between the surfing scenes and the dramas of everyday life. I honestly would've loved to have seen a few more surfing scenes. And even if you're not interested in surfing, this honest Australian film will inspire and engage.

The cast and crew looked like they had fun making this film and it shows. A snapshot into the Aussie surf life, it was a highly enjoyable and upbeat movie experience.

Really enjoyed this movie. Some nice Australiana and look back into the culture in the 60s and 70s.

Enjoyed the whole movie, just wished the soundtrack was relevant to the era.

Worth a chilled watch.