New documentary chases Laird Hamilton, big wave chaser

Documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy has made films about Vietnam, Abu Ghraib, AIDS, and other topics. Now she’s made something completely different: a documentary about a surfer. But not just any surfer — her latest is about world-famous big wave surfer Laird Hamilton. Hamilton is famous for pioneering the sport of surfing massive waves, some as tall as 100 feet. The film spotlights his sometimes tumultuous upbringing in Hawaii, his love of the ocean, and his “fear defect,” what drives him to chase monster waves all over the world.

The film is called “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton.”