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‘Big Vs Small’ review: Dir. Minna Dufton (2021) [GFF]

An astounding piece of documentary filmmaking

Where are the world’s largest waves? The answer I’m afraid, Point Break fans, isn’t Bell’s Beach Australia, but Naza?e, Portugal. The small fishing village location has had record-breaking waves ridden, at over twenty-four metres high. Enter big wave surfer Joana Andrade, who at just 156cm (five foot 1 inch) is the first Portuguese female to dominate the swell. 

Andrade is the subject of documentarian Minna Dufton’s Big Vs Small, a film that gets up close and personal with the surfer. During the course of the film Dufton explores Andrade’s background in sports and how she took up surfing, whilst also taking an unexpectedly personal turn. Andrade opens up and shares the experience of the trauma that has pushed her into the big wave surfing. As much as the waves have tried to heal her, it is through a visit with freediver Johanna Nordblad that Andrade seems to properly confront her past. The two women meet in Finland as Nordblad helps Andrade learn how to hold her breath underwater for an extended period of time. 

This relationship between the two women forms the middle section of the film, and offers a real example of two people connecting. Both are from very different places and yet it is clear early on that they are both made from the same hardy material. Watching them bond is really touching, adding an unexpected layer of warmth and depth, allowing an extra dimension of Andrade’s personality to step into focus.  

Dufton takes the time to fully converse with Andrade, charting her surfing prep and routines, delving into the behind-the-scenes elements that often get glossed over. She also digs deep into Andrade’s philosophies on her passion, the surfer being completely honest and admitting the sport scares her every time she goes out of the water. Her acknowledgement of the threat of death is in stark contrast to your typical sports personality profile; there’s not an ounce of cockiness in her personality. By laying herself so bare, you can’t help but admire this strong figure of a woman. Her strength and determination as both an athlete and a survivor are truly admirable.  

This being a documentary film about surfing, Big Vs Small obviously includes footage of Andrade riding the waves. These shots of Andrade surfing, captured by surf cinematographer Tim Bonython, are simply breathtaking. The depth and the height on the waves look impressively intimidating, even on home format screens. There’s something almost magical watching Andrade at work, but there’s also something slightly unsettling about seeing someone of her stature within such an enormous and dangerous backdrop. 

Big Vs Small casts the incredibly interesting Andrade into the spotlight, a name that won’t be familiar to most, and yet her story will strike a chord with many. Dufton clearly respects her subject and has painted a brilliant profile of the commanding woman. 

Big Vs Small was reviewed at Glasgow Film Festival 2021. 

Big Vs Small

Kat Hughes

Big Vs Small

Summary

Breathtaking cinematography and an interesting subject make Big Vs Small an astounding piece of documentary filmmaking.

4

Kat Hughes is a UK born film critic and interviewer who has a passion for horror films. An editor for THN, Kat is also a Rotten Tomatoes Approved Critic. She has bylines with Ghouls Magazine, Arrow Video, Film Stories, Certified Forgotten and FILMHOUNDS and has had essays published in home entertainment releases by Vinegar Syndrome and Second Sight. When not writing about horror, Kat hosts micro podcast Movies with Mummy along with her five-year-old daughter.

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