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By age five, only a blurry and distorted three percent of Matt Formston’s vision remained.
Despite this Australian athlete’s near total blindness from Macular Dystrophy (a rare affliction that totally eliminates any central vision, leaving but a thin edge of light at the fringes of the eye), he possessed a clear vision: to surf the most feared waves on the planet at Nazare, Portugal—cliff steep waves that on legendary winter wave days soar higher than Fashion Island’s medical buildings.
In the award-winning documentary film, “The Blind Sea,” viewers are exposed to the amazing and inspirational life of three-time Para-Surf world champion Formston. Anyone depressed with their physical disabilities should experience this film, for its message is “you can do it!”
For the Film Festival audiences, the probable reaction may be a few tears of happiness followed by OMG!
Formston is a remarkable human being: a married father of two children and a superb overall athlete who also is a champion tandem bike racer. He walks tall and confidently, his handicap revealed only by his telescoping walking stick, or when walking with a buddy in unfamiliar territory.
His parents originally thought that he’d be totally dependent, that he would or could never do sports. But, Formston recalls, “As a teenager, my drive was to prove to everyone else that I didn’t have a disability.”
Success.
Formston explains that he “tries all things to increase mobility.” For the average person, it’s almost impossible to understand how he “feels” the wave he’s riding. His explanation: “Through my feet.”
Surfing Nazare had been an ultimate dream; however it wasn’t without fear, the fear of raucous white water of a broken wave holding you under with no way to fight your way up.
To that end, the film follows his workouts, from swimming underwater for minutes to being towed behind Seadoos that will take him to the drop-in spot and retrieve him – hopefully alive – after a ride.
It’s one thing if you’re able to see the marching phalanxes of swells en route to terminating into towering waves. It’s another to imagine what they are, how tall they may be.
To that end, when in Nazare, he took advice from the living surf legends of the area. The build-up to “the” day” is evident in everyone’s faces as they wish him good luck. His mom philosophically says, “If he dies, he dies doing what he wants to do.”
It is here that the cinematography comes alive. The size and power of these waves is unfathomable. You can understand Formston’s description of a “bomb” as the waves break “like an avalanche behind you.”
Most would be satisfied having successfully surfed a common 25-footer. Not Formston. As an onshore supporter/observer in the hills above exclaims with laughter of disbelief: “He wants the bomb!” And he got it.
You could almost hear gasps from his support team as they rushed to retrieve him from the froth after he fell under the white water and temporarily disappeared. The following cheers of congratulations were probably as deafening as the crashing waves themselves. But ya had to be there.
“The Blind Sea” embraces all the emotion and real-life drama necessary to make the perfect documentary film. After all, there is no finer scriptwriter than life itself.
“The Blind Sea” screens on October 20. For a complete lineup and tickets, visit www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.
