Surfwise

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Surfwise

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Surfwise

Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz M.D., Juliette Paskowitz, David Paskowitz, Jonathan Paskowitz, Abraham Paskowitz

SURFWISE follows the odyssey of 85-year-old, legendary surfer Dr. Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, his wife Juliette, and their nine children—all of whom were home-schooled on the beaches of Southern Californi...( read more  read more... )a, Hawaii, Mexico and Israel; they surfed every day of their lives, and were forced to adhere to a strict diet and lifestyle by their passionate and demanding, health-conscious father.

In the mid-1950s Dorian Paskowitz was a successful doctor living the good life in the territory of Hawaii, until two devastating divorces and the realization that he had no interest in money or status caused him to completely upend his life. Dorian dropped his practice and traveled to Israel for a year where he lived among the Bedouins and developed a lifelong obsession with a healthy diet. He introduced surfing to Israel and became a hero in the burgeoning Tel Aviv beach scene. Returning to the States, he met his wife Juliette, and the rest was history. They fell madly in love, steered clear of society, lived out of a tiny camper on the beach, and had 7 sons in rapid succession: David, Jonathan, Abraham, Israel, Moses, Adam, and Salvador Daniel. Then they had one daughter, Navah, and their ninth child, Joshua.

The children were raised in the Jewish tradition, complete with Shabbat on the beach every Friday night. But that’s where similarities with a normal societal upbringing end. Doc’s absolute determination was to raise his children according to the strictest standards of nature. They ate only organic and/or raw foods with no sugar or fat. Their community was their family. They didn’t need money or have to pay bills or taxes. Their home was anywhere the crowded camper was parked.

What happens to eight brothers and a sister that are raised under such extraordinary circumstances? SURFWISE is the story of a man who pursued his dreams and dragged his family along for the wild ride.

Id: 10880339

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Surfwise Recent Reviews
  • Beefy
    March 29, 2009
    Beefy
    At once engaging and infuriating, this documentary shows both the good side to the Paskowitz family upbringing, and the bad. Managed to bring a tear to my eye at the end, but I still could find little sympathy for "Doc".
  • KLFilmmaker
    January 3, 2009
    KLFilmmaker
    Insightful & candid doc on legendary surfer Dorian Paskowitz and his freakishly large family. It delves into Dorian's lifestyle and beliefs and the effects it had/has on his kids.
  • Dracula787
    November 7, 2008
    Dracula787
    A recent documentary about a hippie surfer family. The film talks about the life and times of the eleven member Paskowitz family that roamed the country looking for surf spots, the kids were not enrolled in school or really raised to deal with the outside world. Through home vi...( read more)deos, old photographs, archival news stories, and newly shot interviews with all the family member, the documentary gauges what this type of upbringing was like and how it affected their adult lives. The film raises interesting questions about the morality of raising a family in an alternative lifestyle, one that is legitimately thought to be superior, but which goes against what is needed to live in society. I would have liked a more detailed narrative of the individuals life, but it?s probably for the best that it goes for a breezy running time instead.
  • zdravkoduck
    June 10, 2008
    zdravkoduck
    Surwise opened right away their weren't any previews and I was a little suprised it only took an hour and twenty minutes to get through. Doc "Dorian" Paskowitz an established doctor had a dream to seek truth and knowledge he then quit his practice and traveled to Tel Aviv Israel ...( read more)and would you believe tuaght locals how to surf...so lesson 1 Israel has rad swells! Wonderful anecdotes enjoyable music and great TRUE story..so go see it, It's in Hillcrest so cover up...
  • afghanplayer2007
    September 20, 2009
    afghanplayer2007
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  • SnowBinkie
    September 19, 2009
    SnowBinkie
    I might watch this one too
  • natashaguest1
    May 16, 2009
    natashaguest1
    I spent the first half of this film wishing I had a pair big enough to do this with my family. The second half is full of what's wrong with raising nine kids in a camper and never sending them to school. It felt like a betrayal to learn that Doc can be a dickhead dad, but he coul...( read more)d have been a dickhead dad in the suburbs. While capitalizing on his male privilege to be domineering and something of a cult leader helps him live outside the mainstream, I don't believe it's a quality necessarily inherent to doing it. I think it's all too easy to showcase the craziness and hurt of families raised in a non-conformist manner and say ' see, don't do this, step in line.' Really, I'm not writing off what Doc did to his kids (the son that wanted to go the medical school but was too far behind in his education to do it is absolutely heartbreaking), but I'm walking away from this film inspired to do what I can to raise my kids to question the status quo. Will I keep them out of school? No. Will I take them to surf lessons to learn the beauty of catching a wave? Oh, hell yes.
  • joshuarainwater
    March 10, 2009
    joshuarainwater
    I've come to realize that I'm a sucker for average life. This is a well shot documentary about a captivating family: the Paskowitz. They are just average people who have an interesting story. This surfing bunch was raised in a small camper and traveled where ever and whenever the...( read more)y please, surfing and living life. As the kids got older they suffered problems having never had education. The dad's methods of parenting cross lines while opening the eyes of the audience to new ones. It's a good documentary and well worth the time spent.
  • brons0n81
    January 25, 2009
    brons0n81
    An amazing documentary about a man who takes his wife and eleven kids on a surf trip around the world that never ends. He eventually ends up ruining their lives. Fascinating to say the least.
  • Ghw12158
    December 23, 2008
    Ghw12158
    creepy but interesting doc
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