Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Engaging docu details past sexism, discrimination; language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Girls Can't Surf
What's the Story?
GIRLS CAN'T SURF combines historical footage and interviews with professional surfers from the 1970s onward. Past world champions and others describe the evolution of women's surfing and the discrimination women faced in the professional world and on the waves. They persisted out of love for the sport, pushing for inclusion and equal treatment.
Is It Any Good?
This isn't the first documentary about sexist treatment of female athletes, but the world of surf culture gives it an entirely unique feel. That's underscored right from the opening title sequence of Girls Can't Surf set to fun, neon-stroked text graphics and female punk rock. As one interviewee in the film describes it, there's always been a certain mystique around the surf community, encapsulated in blonde-streaked, bikini-clad "demi-gods" and golden-hued sunsets on the beach. The film capitalizes on its gorgeous cast of characters and settings with tons of archive footage from the 1970s on.
The veterans interviewed mostly still surf today in their middle to late-middle age, and it's inspiring to see how far their sport has come in their wake and what role they each played in breaking down barriers. They open up not just with tales about surfing, but also personal backstories about family strife, coming out of the closet (or actually being pushed out and then ostracized), opting to pose nude in a magazine, suffering from anorexia or alcohol problems, dealing with an unexpected pregnancy, and more. The film captures and reflects on an era in a way that brings it to vivid and engaging life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why women faced such discrimination in the surfing world, as seen in Girls Can't Surf. Have times changed? How and why?
Can you think of other sports where women are treated with less respect or earn less than their male counterparts?
How would you compare the different decades covered in this film? What differences and similarities did the film highlight?
What did you think of the balance between interviews and archive footage in the film? Would you have liked more or less of one or the other?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 19, 2022
- Cast : Lisa Anderson , Rochelle Ballard , Layne Beachley
- Director : Christopher Nelius
- Studio : Gravitas Ventures
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism , History
- Run time : 108 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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