Last night, for a little while at least, all felt right in the surf world. Kolohe Andino and his best pals Ian Crane, Luke Davis Griffin Colapinto and Crosby Colapinto, all from San Clemente, CA, rolled out their new film Reckless Isolation — a 45-minute plus dive into Never Never Land. The crew stumble into empty Mentawais and surf back-to-back-to-back swells virtually alone. The film takes cues from classics like September Sessions and Lost at Sea but rewrites the genre in their own handwriting, dripping with the influence but with a style all its own. It is light on nostalgia and huge on surfing in the present tense.

Kolohe let his true and long dormant inner auteur out and proved he has the eye. He got deep into the details of this film, spending countless hours on everything from graphics with Scott Chenoweth to the presentation of every layer including an extensive US premiere tour. There’s the ubiquitous bright orange merch he’s giving away for free at all the stops (rumor is NBA superstar Jimmy Butler was eyeing them at Stance yesterday), the Project Nasi fundraising he’s doing for Indonesia, and a one-of-kind original score with contributions from musicians like Jon Theodore, local band Repeater, and a few classics he licensed including one absolute deep cut hammer from The Red Hot Chili Peppers that is a major highlight. The film is a spectacle, but one that feels organic and homemade, raw and core with punk energy and timeless pacing. Filmmaker Jacob Vanderwork and Kolohe spent day and night in the edit bay and what they made is a piece that will reserve a little room for themselves in the pantheon of great surf celluloid forever. Filmed and shot by Jacob and the inimitable Nate Lawrence and his pal, blossoming cinematographer Scotty Hammonds. This vid doesn’t skimp on anything.

After a blitzing night one full of hoots and loud tunes and an insane live performance by Repeater, the boys are off to stop number two tonight in San Diego at the iconic La Paloma Theater before heading to Florida and the East Coast. Take a look below to feel good about surf culture again.—Travis

All Photos by Bowie De La Peña.