The title “Just Add Water” won't mean anything to you until you actually watch the movie by the same name, featuring the surfing of one Clay Marzo. Marzo is a shredder from the Rock, who, perhaps unlike any other surfer, is like Gumby on the waves. He just molds himself and his body into the face, foam, lip, tube, basically wherever his services are needed.
So where does “just adding water” come in?
Clay Marzo happens to have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2007. Aspergers is characterised by difficulty in social interactions, and obsessive behavior focused on particular subjects. That could mean obsessive focus on higher forms of mathematics. Or in the case of Clay Marzo, total and utter dedication to surfing. That doesn't mean that he likes to surf long sessions like you might; it means that his mind his hardwired to see and ride the wave unlike most surfers, perhaps even at the elite level. Shy and reserved on land, Marzo comes to life when he's plunked down on a wave, big or small.
Just Add Water tells his story.
Produced by Quiksilver with a portion of the profits going to Surfer's Healing, a foundation in support of children with autism, Just Add Water is a hot commodity, frequently being sold out at surf shops and even on the Quiksilver store. (For the next couple of days, you can get it for free by entering our 12 Days of the Holidays Contest, sponsored by Quiksilver and the Surfrider Foundation. Check it out!)
This flick is particularly fast-paced. Not a tale of endless shredding and tube rides that get old, quick, Just Add Water features interviews with characters as diverse as Martin Potter, Occy, Kelly Slater, Andy Irons and Dane Reynolds, all talking about this not-yet-20 phenom from Hawaii. I don't think I've ever seen a surfing movie that does Teahupoo quite so well, aside perhaps from Brian Conley's My Eyes Won't Dry. If you want to understand the power of Chopes, and see Clay Marzo tame it, check out Just Add Water.
A big question addressed in the movie is whether Clay Marzo will make a jump to the WQS. Kelly Slater says so in the movie – noting that Marzo has the talent for the WQS, and on the ASP World Tour as well. Whether Aspergers will prove to hinder his ability to compete and travel the world remains to be seen. In one scene, Dane Reynolds explains that Marzo's mother asked Reynolds to hang on to Marzo's passport in case he lost it. No big deal, right? Except that in one heat at the Billabong Juniors, Marzo appears to basically just give up mid-heat, needing only a score of 1 to advance. We see in the movie that Marzo's character is still being defined.
Nevertheless, we hope he makes the decision to be a pro surfer – Marzo's attitude and shredding will light up the ASP World Tour.
Check out the trailer for Just Add Water here:
