The Search for Freedom is a documentary written and directed by Jon Long which captures Tony Hawk, Danny Way, and Jeremy Jones. With visceral imagery through the eyes of the extreme sports world, the documentary explores the idea of living in the moment and focuses on the question of how powerful life can be if one chooses to live in the present.
By blending angles of interviews with action sport professionals and pushing the limit with extreme sports, Jon Long attempts to find freedom. With that said, does he succeed?
What makes this documentary stand apart is the perspective in which the movie is shot. The way the camera is angled and the shots are done makes you feel like you are the athlete. This documentary was breathtaking and serves as a way to prepare people who want to step out their comfort zone but are not yet ready to jump out an airplane with a parachute.
The Search for Freedom also pursues the evolution of action sports such as surfing which includes the history of extreme sports. One of the surfers likens surfing during the infancy of the sport to a social counter culture practice with a block aid.
As revealed by these background, extreme sports were at their genesis an expression of liberty and cavorting on the margins socially. The history of extreme sports is indeed rich, as it spawned a previously underground culture that is now into the mainstream. It even includes multi million dollar companies like former niche markets like Roxy, Quicksilver and other active wear brands arose due to the explosion of popularity of extreme sports.
The breathtaking ski jump shots of the film do not take away from the central message, even though it can be slightly preachy on ‘living in the moment’. Luckily, it doesn’t become overly didactic. Rather, it is mostly, albeit unsubtly, pronounced. The athletic interviewees hardly wander off for a change to the common sayings about ‘living life to the fullest’ or other forms of ‘once in a lifetime experiences’.
As a positive note, the movie does not turn away from portraying all aspects of impulsive gratifying. The interviews are structured in a way that there is a balance, touching on the concerning elements of their extreme ways of life. In an interview, a climbing athlete speaks on his experiences of ‘being at the edge’ and emphasizes the importance of strength and its control in life.
The most fascinating character that gets introduced is an Australian ER Physician who also happens to be a Freefall artist. He elucidates that there is indeed a more scientific angle to thrill seeking. There are actually some genes that increase that appetite for risk and if they are available in the DNA, they cannot be ignored. The ‘search for freedom’ is literally embedded within us, or to put it more precisely, it is encoded into the molecular structure of our being.
The facing fear aspect is also another theme that is examined in the documentary with phrases like ‘pushing the limit’ or ‘risk’ thrown about so casually. One of the athletes refers to doing something you are scared of as an act that involves ‘negotiation with your fear.’ This value does stretch beyond the limits of just extreme sports and can be used in life in general, which is demonstrated by the different lifestyles that some of the athletes decide to live so that they can pursue their passion.
Having the chance to watch the film puts a chilling quote into perspective: “When all you have to do is fly, that’s freedom.”
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