I’m a sucker for surf movies, even ones that don’t really make as much sense as they think they do. Highwater is one of those examples. It starts out with an interesting premise, asking the question if the North Shore in Hawaii is the same as it used to be. Has all the money & development permanently changed surfing?
Then the film immediately gets sidetracked, talking about the big wave competition that happens there every year, profiling the surfings competing that year, and showing some beautiful surf footage and the question of change on the North Shore? Almost totally forgotten as 90% of the screen time is devoted to telling the story of the competition that year.
Did I care? Not at all. The surf footage was beautiful, the stories interesting, and the pace nice and leisurely, just as I like it. If you love surf movies as I do, this is one to put on your list.