Fighting Fear, a documentary by Macario De Souza, with Mark Mathews, Richie Vaculik

11 November 2011

Fighting Fear, trailer, a documentary, is the second feature of Sydney based Australian film director Macario De Souza, and follows his 2007 debut Bra Boys, which he co-directed with Sunny Abberton.

Here De Souza focuses on the story of two members of the Bra Boys surf gang, which is based at Sydney’s Maroubra beach. Narrated by Australian actor Joel Edgerton, Fighting Fear profiles Mark Mathews, a big wave pro-surfer, and Richie “Vas” Vaculik, also a surfer and mixed martial arts fighter, who have been friends since meeting as boys at Maroubra in the early 1990’s.

Both also appeared briefly in De Souza’s earlier Bra Boys feature.

While working as a carpet layer to fund his surfing escapades, Mathews would closely monitor Australian swell forecasts. The instant he spotted conditions conducive to the formation of big waves, such as at Shipstern Bluff, on the southeast coast of Tasmania, Matthews would, along with Vaculik, travel there as quickly as possible.

On top of his passion for surfing though, Vaculik began to develop an interest in mixed martial arts and cage fighting, where he quickly acquired a formidable reputation after a string of victories. While both worked hard, they also loved to party with the same fervour, and sometimes found themselves at odds with the law as a result.

With Vaculik facing serious assault charges, and Mathews recovering after a surfing mishap at Shipstern Bluff, incidents that presented threats to their sporting ambitions, both found themselves struggling to save their respective careers. But the pair were able to draw on their long-standing friendship to help each other through.

Fighting Fear blends interviews, archival news and video clips, reenactments, plus some spectacular surfing footage. Appearances by Kelly Slater, Steph Gilmore, Mick Fanning, and Bruce Irons among others, flesh out the story of Mathews and Vaculik, as they overcome various fears in order to reach their potential.

While soul baring and compelling, Fighting Fear isn’t quite as absorbing as Bra Boys, which I thought told more of a story. There are also references to the Bra Boys, but a lack of context might confuse audiences outside of Sydney, or those unfamiliar with the surf gang. The film is bound together by an animated soundtrack, including music by De Souza in his Kid Mac persona.

Originally published Friday 11 November 2011, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.