Riding Giants

Last year’s Step Into Liquid captured surfing quests on frothy crests of all sizes and forms, from such diverse locales as the wakes of tankers in the Gulf of Mexico and the icy shores of Ireland. This even more exhilarating documentary focuses more on the history of the sport, the early clique of 10 California surfers who ventured to Hawaii in the 1950s and subsequently ignited America’s surfing craze, and surfers’ infatuation with and pursuit of the largest walls of water on the planet. Director and co-writer Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys) combines talking-head interviews, home-movie footage and photographs to drench us with both the Zen-like appeal and technical evolution of a sport in which size (of both boards and waves) really does matter.