REVIEW: New doc details ‘women’s big wave movement’
It Ain’t Pretty, the new documentary from Dayla Soul, is a welcome breath of fresh air. Too often sports-based documentaries attempt to capture the so-called “scene” and fail to contextualize the events and offer some social commentary. This big-wave surfing documentary still has the killer footage of roaring breakers and mighty Mavericks, but the narrative is told through the lens of female surfers, who dominate the ocean but still face closed doors in the industry.
Soul has performed a great service to the subjects she follows over the course of 70 minutes. The names should be well known to surf enthusiasts. There’s Bianca Valenti, Monique Kitamura and Savannah Shaughnessy, to name a few. However, these names should be even more commonplace outside the world of surf. The problem is that their opportunities for exposure are often limited, and until recently, they have been shut out of many major tournaments.
To tell the story of these courageous and trail-blazing women, Soul gets down on the ground level with them. She films the surfers in the big waves, especially the breakers near San Francisco and the Bay Area. Some of these legendary waves can be deadly, but the surfers profiled in the documentary step up to the challenge and meet the obstacle with grit and determination.
The surfers tell stories of mastering these waves but still receiving glares and comments from a few of the established male athletes who don’t have open minds on the future of the sport. Additionally, Soul explores the advertising of the surf industry and how it creates an over-sexualized image of women that doesn’t portray the qualities these female surfers would like to broadcast.
The film is not only about the social commentary, and It Ain’t Pretty definitely makes it clear that many people in the surf industry are open to change. Some tournaments are adding contests for female surfers, for example. Besides the important statement the documentary makes about these Bay Area athletes, the film is also a powerful showcase of their skill and the unbelievable, death-defying acts they must endure to master these big waves.
The footage of the actual surfing is good, not great. Most of the shots appear to be filmed from the safety of the beach, and although that’s completely understood, some of the best surf films get wet in the water with the surfers. The only real angle for closeups comes from a GoPro camera on the actual surfboard of Valenti.
Also, chopping up the narrative with subtitles makes for a fragmented 70 minutes, almost as if a dozen small stories were put together into one. That’s a minor editing quibble.
Of the many voices in the film, Valenti’s comes off the strongest. She is undeniably talented and driven to succeed in this sport. The fact that she has more obstacles than her male counterparts is unfortunate because she’s the real deal, someone ready for worldwide fame and more lucrative sponsorships. As she tells the camera, her image doesn’t fit the stereotypical idea of a female surfer. She’s an athlete who works hard at her craft and would like to be judged by her results.
The lasting image of It Ain’t Pretty is what might happen in the next generation. The young girls who look up to Valenti and company are hoping for more opportunities to shine, and thanks to these surfers in the Bay Area, they have that chance.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
It Ain’t Pretty (2016), directed by Dayla Soul, is currently available on DVD and digital AD (Amazon and iTunes). Running time: 70 minutes. Candy Factory Films. Rating: 
