El Mar, Mi Alma (Stephen Jones, 2012): Australia

Reviwed by Nathan Chinchilla at the Metro Theater, Santa Barbara

The movie El Mar, Mi Alma is suppose to tell the story of a couple of surfers that travel along Chile’s coast to explore some of its best waves, breaks, and be able to capture all of that on film. It has done that but it has also done much more than that. I have seen a bunch of surf videos before and have seen all the amazing waves they catch like in Billabongs Pipeline Masters. I seen the big waves, they never ending barrels, and the perfect tricks performed from world famous surfers. The exotic locations they travel to catch these waves like India, Brazil, Hawaii, etc. shows the rest of the world what the rest of these places are like but never do they touch on who or what the people of the country are. This film, El Mar, Mi Alma displays not only Chiles beautiful coast and its talent of surfers but also the people of the city. I have yet to see a movie that has touched on what the people of the country have to say. The natives of the country and the community seaking on behalf of the country of Chile are what has surprised me the most of this entire film. They speak of how beautiful their country, everything it has to offer, and how far they have came to make its country one of the earths most amazing landmarks.

El Mar, Mi Alma takes the life of a couple of Australian surfers that have traveled to see the coast of Chile to ride some of its most epic waves and capture it all on film. As they continue on with their journey along the Chilean coast, they encounter some of the native people and discover a lot more than they expected. Stephen Jones has done a great job of documenting some of the most interesting native people. He interviewed a fisherman that had a lot to say on how important the ocean is to their lives and how they grateful they are to live next to it. A villager also speaks on the importance of the land and all that it has contributed in farming to feed their families and everyone else. Sadly, they also speak on how we are damaging Chiles’ environment with pollution and wasted being tossed into the ocean every day. Stephen Jones has touched on subject that many have ignored but should always be considered because of the importance it has in our daily lives. He has also showed the beauty that lies underneath it all that should be preserved for all future generations to see.

The images captured in this film are what truly make El Mar, Mi Alma original in its own taste of being a surfer film. Along with the special dialogue in the entire movie that not only came from the film crew but more importantly from the natives of Chile. The cinematographer Dave Harvey was able to shoot the true essence of these people by showing them working the boats and performing labor. He captured the beauty of the ocean with the surfers in their riding  jaw-dropping waves that leave many with the thought of how he was able to capture so closely all these shots. Stephen Jones has truly showed the wonder of Chile and its people.