Shallow surfing movie hits tsunami

DEEP End takes a shallow look at surfing in South Africa. Set in Durban, the Eubulus Timothy directed flick puts the spotlight on an Indian girl, Sunitha Patel (played by Carishma Basday). Her race is significant to note because the film makes race and racism a talking point, the butt of jokes and the eye-roll-worthy lowhanging fruit.

Sunitha discovers that she loves to surf. Why wouldn’t she? The ocean is at her doorstep. Her father, Naren – portrayed by TV newsreader, Mahendra Raghunath – is adamant that no daughter of his will be allowed to be a surfer. Later in the film, they try to pin that attitude on a racist incident from his past, but that explanation is such a reach that it just doesn’t cut it.

But what’s worse than his daughter surfing is his daughter dating anyone who isn’t Indian.

Yawn. Now, to be clear, this review doesn’t ignore the fact that there are racist families – all over the world – who refuse to accept loved ones in interracial relationships.

The issue with this film is that it takes a lazy, show-and-tell route that perpetuates stereotypes of other races and even looks down on Indian people but disguises it as comedy. Take, for instance, how Sunitha’s cousin declares that horny Indian boys would love it if you peppersprayed them. Huh?

And if you think that part of the script is suspect, there is even dodgier dialogue. At brunch, Sunitha’s cousin says something about their “late” grandmother. If they are family, surely they would both know she’s no longer alive. So the sentence seems meant for the audience, but it’s unnecessary because the gran doesn’t come up again and doesn’t help with any context to anything.

So Sunitha meets Cory (played by Greg Kriek), a professional surfer with a thick American accent, who is hiding out in Durban and running away from drug allegations back home. We’re supposed to believe they fall in love.

Basday is a natural on camera and you can tell that she’s got so much more to give. But acting is similar to tennis in that you can only serve according to what’s served back to you. Often, the people sharing scenes with her are so theatrical that what’s meant to sizzle only fizzles.