Maya and the Wave | |
---|---|
Directed by | Stephanie Johnes |
Produced by | Stephanie Johnes |
Starring | Maya Gabeira |
Cinematography | Stephanie Johnes Jorge Leal João Pedro Plácido Dudu Miranda |
Edited by | Shannon Kennedy Jordana Berg |
Music by | Turtle |
Production company | Uncle Booster |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English Portuguese |
Maya and the Wave is an American documentary film, directed by Stephanie Johnes and released in 2024. [1] The film is a portrait of surfer Maya Gabeira and her struggles to be taken seriously as a woman in a male-dominated sport, focusing in part on the role that sexism played in the response to her injuries while trying to surf a giant wave at Praia do Norte in 2013. [2]
The film premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022, and was first runner-up for the People's Choice Award for Documentaries. [3]
Maya Gabeira grows up in Rio de Janeiro, begins competing in surfing at age 15, and turns pro at 17. However, her abilities are doubted by many of her big wave surfing male peers. In 2013, Gabeira suffers a devastating wipeout at Nazaré, Portugal. She nearly drowns and endures a prolonged recovery that requires back surgeries and physical therapy. Gabeira eventually returns to Nazaré and breaks the record for the largest wave ever surfed by a woman.
Adam Benzine of Deadline highlighted the film as "beautiful and inspiring" as well as "magnificent," noting its in-depth look at Gabeira’s injury, rehabilitation, and eventual comeback. The review compared the documentary to Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel , emphasizing that while it appears to be a glossy sports documentary, it delves deeper into themes of recovery from traumatic injury. [4]
Nikki Baughan's review in ScreenDaily praised the film for being "as narratively strong as it is visually impressive." Baughan noted, "Johnes captures the sport’s ingrained sexism, even from those who would claim to support Gabeira," and the film draws parallels between Gabeira's rebellious spirit and her activist father, Fernando Gabeira. [5]
Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote a mostly positive review, remarking, "the film more than succeeds in its primary goals of providing an inspirational role model plus lots of stupendous surfing footage, a combination that will enthrall most viewers." However, he felt that the film's narrative was sometimes poorly organized, and it failed to adequately examine the complicated relationship between Gabeira and her "first major mentor and coach," Carlos Burle. [6]
Writing for RogerEbert.com, Marya E. Gates commended the film’s unique approach, noting that “what makes Maya such a compelling subject and Johnes’ portrait of her so different from films about male surf legends, is Gabeira’s willingness to admit her fear,” which sets her apart from the typical adrenaline-driven narrative of big wave surfing. [7]
Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as the technique the surfer uses to reach the wave. A larger, longer board allows a rider to paddle fast enough to catch the wave and has the advantage of being more stable, but it also limits maneuverability and surfing speed.
Nazaré is a Portuguese town and municipality located in the Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura, and in the Leiria District. The municipality has a population of 14,889 in an area of 82.43 km2, while the town itself has around 10,000 inhabitants.
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The Nazaré Canyon is a submarine canyon just off the coast of Nazaré, portuguese Oeste region, in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest submarine canyon in Europe, reaching depths of about 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) deep and a length of about 230 kilometres (140 mi).
Maya Reis Gabeira is a Brazilian big wave surfer. She surfed a 22.4 m (73 ft) high wave in Nazaré, Portugal in February 2020, recorded by Guinness World Records as the biggest wave ever surfed by a woman. She also held the previous record for biggest wave ever surfed by a woman, of 20.8 m (68 ft) established in January 2018.
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100 Foot Wave is an American documentary television series directed by Chris Smith, revolving around big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara as he traveled to Nazaré, Portugal with the goal of conquering a 100-foot wave. It premiered on HBO on July 18, 2021.
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