‘The Ocean Doesn’t Care’ Is in Awe of East Coast Surfers

the ocean doesn't care

New York City grinders take their escape where they can find it.

Interviewing multiple urbanites about their dedication to surfing in the freezing Atlantic after their long, arduous jobs and educations get the best of them, The Ocean Doesn’t Care is a documentary in wonder of the human need for scale. These New Yorkers find a sense of meaning in feeling meaningless, an escape from a city that demands ego. If you don’t believe you’re the best, you’ll be eaten up. But out on the water, you’re reminded of your smallness.

Mikey DeTemple does well editing these natural and urban shots together to drive home this comparison. He also gets great answers out of his subjects, all of whom are relatively eloquent about their hobby and their lives.

Finding these people that flit between the harsh austerity of the water and the excess of the city was already enough for a doc, but using the storytelling format to reinforce the tidal flow of the commute to and from the ocean puts this short over the edge.

Jacob Oller: Jacob Oller writes everywhere (Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Playboy, FSR, Paste, etc.) about everything that matters (film, TV, video games, memes, life).