‘Surfwise’

There’s an irony in the title of this documentary that may not be immediately apparent. Because the story of Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, a man who gave up being a physician to drag his large family around in a tiny camper from one wave to another, is honestly told, we get a rigorous look at a complicated human situation. The result is a darker film than might be expected. Yes, the vision of healthy living -- surfing every day and being able to leave any place at a moment’s notice -- may sound like a fantasy to people tied to 9-to-5 drudgery, but the surfing doctor had less benign sides that limited his children as much as it gave them richer lives.