Against The Grain (Josh Landon, 2007): USA

n the film “Against the Grain The Tara Dakides Documentary,” the professional snowboarder says her life has been about the journey, not the destination. Dakides began her life as the daughter of wealthy parents in California riding horses, doing gymnastics and enjoying life. Then everything changes after a messy divorce breaks both her family and her heart apart.  After that, Dakides starts down a road of prescription drugs, low grades and rebellious behavior and trades gymnastics for skateboarding. After a suicide attempt, her mother checks her into a mental institution and later an aunt shoves her face in the gutter and tells her that is where she will end up. Dakides runs away to Mammoth, Calif. with $300 in her pocket and a blind ambition to make it in the world, Already an avid skater and snowboarder, Dakides takes to the mountain eventually signing on with a snowboard company as a sponsor.  Taras goes is to prove that she can do what no other female rider had done to that point she can hang with the boys. Much like Shaun White is the poster boy of snowboarding today, Tara Dakides was the poster female rider for the past decade.  The movie was well made, easy to follow, and highly interesting even if one isn’t into pro snowboarding.  Hopefully I wasn’t bias on the review of this film due to the fact that I personally know Tara Dakides through family members who are also part of the snowboard industry.