Surfer Keith Malloy’s movie about his passion for bodysurfing: “It’s about taking a breath, and kicking your feet, in the big blue sea come hell or high water.”

 

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Ted Woods’s documentary “White Wash” wants you to know that white guys aren’t the only ones who surf. Mr. Woods’s movie — part history lesson, part sports film, part polemical essay — has a complicated story to tell, about black surfers and, more broadly, about African-American history and the history of surfing.

Great topics all, but that’s a lot of ground to cover and, unsurprisingly, the film often feels a bit scattershot. Employing the usual grab bag of documentary building blocks, Mr. Woods never quite melds his film into a compelling whole, though individual pieces can be fascinating. There are talking-head experts; vintage footage (of surfing, of civil rights demonstrations, of advertisements for the good life in Los Angeles, “City of Destiny”); and interviews with the surfers, like the engaging Sal Masekela.

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This beautiful video captures the essence of surfing in cold dark waters. Enjoy.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.