Watch: Filipe Toledo // Raíz y Sal
Never mind the tortured artist, in this high stakes world the tortured pro athlete is the one who deserves our sympathy.
"After winning two consecutive world titles, Filipe Toledo chooses to step away from the circuit at the height of his career. Raíz y Sal is a sensitive and cinematic portrait of this break: a journey through Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Brazil, where surfing stops being a competition and returns to being an expression, silence, presence."
Right.
Filipe is not only the best small wave surfer of his generation but he's also the fastest surfer, perhaps ever, so it's a shame the filmmakers opt to show his surfing in a sensitive and cinematic way - i.e they slow it down. There's a good passage that begins around the 11 min. mark with FT doing FT things, but too soon it switches back to sunsets and slow mo.
Filipe is an intriguing fella and a fantastic surfer, but Raíz y Sal doesn't do either aspect justice.
A good film in parts.
Comments
I find it difficult to separate the surfing from the Surfer
Yeah, Nah.
Seems like a nice bloke it is just all the claims and carry on in small waves just adds to the 'won't go' issues in waves of consequence that really drag my opinion of him down. He just needs to own it and proclaim 'I can't surf big chunky waves' and just opt out of those contests, be a small wave specialist.
Agree with memlasurf.
Will admit that i only skirted through, probably more from a pre conceived notion of FT more than anything, but i agree with memla on the whole.
Filli can sure log some air/hang time and knows his way through a smaller barrel, no question.
FFS, i'll rate him more highly for that soul arch bottom turn...and the soundtraack was pretty awesome.
I can't look at his machismo body-art carry-on without cringing at the emasculating elo moment.. (you guys with insta, does elo still post?)
Yeah stu, was watching his surfing in those early scenes on that (mexican I think?) righthander - thinking the wave looked super slow. Despite the legitimate critics of FT in heavy water I think his surfing coulda been showcased a lot better than this n agree they chose the wrong thematic overlay. Oh well
That was sick - assist from Brian Jonestown.
He seems like a legend and his mates (Silva on the backhand?) shred.
The way he gets back on the rail and resets in the blink of an eye is revolutionary.
I accept he claims too much (see all WSL surfers including Aussies) and maybe cant surf death pits. However some of my best mates have way more annoying attributes yet we remain friends and I have no desire to rubbish their reputations in a public forum.
+1
+1
well said
Love the twinny sunset shots for some street cred! Haha.
Thanks for the posting this video. We're getting consistent swell, so its good to be continually inspired by the best.
I enjoy surfers pushing the known limits of boards, gravity and themselves. Fil Toledo is great surfer & WSL athlete.
raíz y sal = Root & salt
"Life is full of exciting challenges. And a major part of attaining happiness is finding a challenge well- suited to you: one that may require you to get beyond certain self-limiting beliefs but, with sufficient effort, definitely lies within your ability to achieve."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/evolution-the-self/201707/yes-yo...
Oz sponsored comp safety surfing for a win (& tow-ins drop-ins at crowded spots <6ft like Kirra) is an injustice to surfers everywhere. You can all go with your Oz jetskis crew and legally enjoy surfing somewhere no-one else paddling can catch; challenge some nearby rivermouth sucking on ebb tide, x champs.
A real challenge?
Apologies for my inordinate cutback onto the rocks of surf ignorance & theme.
I don’t really understand the angst Filipe causes grown men?
We don’t have to have an opinion of him. He’s out there doing his thing. He plays the game that has been put in front of him, and for the most part plays it very well.
Seems like a bloke who’s moving through the world not trying to upset people.
I enjoyed the bit with his mates - was that Brazil? If so wow!
Love his surfing. Smooth and quick on rail. Amazing to watch. But… how someone can win 2 world titles without competently mastering solid pipe is just wrong. He played the game in front of him but it doesn’t make it right. Same could be said for Tyler winning 2 pipe masters without a single pipe barrel. I’d say the system is wrong.
nah I don't reckon same can be said about Tyler, that generation didn't get the oppurtunity or have much of a reason to put in time in heavy barrels, because WSL held them back. different story with the upcoming women though
It’s pretty simple really. They want him to admit his symbolic castration so they don’t have to confront their own.
haha "simple".
Heavy waves aside, I really like Filipe's surfing...
...Except, his "coffee cup" hand, when he is not doing a top turn, really bothers me stylistically.
Favourite part of the clip was Deivid Silva backhand at Punta Roca.
He destroyed those sections.
to artsy fartys for me and cant stand slo mo, maybe its my ADD but in a Filipe clip I want to see him tearing the absolute shit out of mid size open faced waves, 100 hacks and 3 airs with some black sabbath playing in the background
anyone else run straight to the comments?
What!? No Sally??
Terrible video. Ripped off!
Only got a few minutes in. Feels like we’ve seen it all before.
I suppose the love of slo-mo on youtube surfing videos is that it increases the length of the vid which increases ad opportunities which increases revenue which is entirely reasonable from a business perspective.
Bogans say potato, Shaun say Toledo,... lets take the whole year off...
Beaut rural people stay sick.
Rich raconteurs prosper?
The Raconteurs (/ˌrækɒnˈtɜːrz/, also known as The Saboteurs in Australia
Big bueautifux billshite bill....Less for the US public education, less renewable energy, $150B for the USA pentagon war industries; IBM, Lockeed Martin, Boeing, Blackrock investments, etc ? mmmm gime more.....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steady,_As_She_Goes
Sorry but those opening lines say it all.
Traveling the world surfing is "war" to Filipe, for which he had to "sacrifice" much in his life.
I'm sure the Ukrainians and Palestinians would like to compare notes regarding war and sacrifice?
I had to giggle at the war reference too. I can only assume something got a little lost in translation there.
crikey. i've seen way better surfing (and wave quality) from him in WSL comps.
the dude can string together some amazing moves and they choose to cut a lot of it up into singles plus the dreaded slo-mo.
anyway, that's comparing FT to FT. by general standards that was some amazing surfing (though I'm surprised his straight airs are arse), just had to ignore the bullshit in the subtitles.
Brazilians, much like Italians, often grow up as affectionate mummy’s boys ie, emotionally attached, family-oriented, and prone to loud, dramatic complaints about life’s unfairness, blending soft dependence on their mothers with an outward show of passion and bravado. The same holds true with Gabs ongoing drama with his stage hand mother I mean father, torn between pleasing his father or learning to throw the potty away and finally do things for and by himself, even if he does, there is the emotional hangover taht comes with cutting the dependancy tie that many juvenile adults never outgrow and will pass on to their offspring