I'm not sure if I've ever actually seen the surfers on Lake Erie. I had heard about them, but I didn't really take it seriously, as a hobby because... come on! Out of Place is a documentary by Scott Ditzenberger, and Darrin McDonald about this sub-culture. And I assure you, some of these folks who surf Lake Erie are dead serious. They have surfing in their veins and their hearts, and they're not going to let their location keep them from riding the waves. Some of the best waves can be found in the coldest conditions. I mean, who among us hasn't taken that wind coming straight from Canada like a freight train across the lake and right in the face. Can you imagine jumping into the gunmetal grey icy waters of Lake Erie to try to surf? I respect these surfers so much, for re-arranging their lives and their schedules, so they can chase the next batch of waves, when there aren't that many to be had, year round. The characters are all interesting and drawn to the shore from very different places. I wasn't depressed, as was the Minister of Culture, that they all longed to move to warmer climes where they could pursue their passion year round. I come in contact with dozens of people every winter who vow to move elsewhere, because they're too uncomfortable on the walk from their front door to their car in the morning. Whatever. I love it here. And I admire these dudes and dudettes for finding a way to do what they love in a place that doesn't make it easy. That's cool. Scott and the guys in the film who were at the Cleveland International Film Festival screening of Out of Place are really excited about the movie and sharing their passion with everyone. I'm not sure how excited they'll be when people like me start showing up to try to watch them do it live. I don't want to kill anyone's buzz, but I am inspired to look for them in future. I liked meeting this crew and getting some history, having no idea it went so far back. I shouldn't have been surprised, the beach was BIG back in the day. I had some problems with the flow of the film, losing the thread of story and wondering how some of the locations and people fit in, but I enjoyed myself. The soundtrack is wonderful. I give Out of Place a 7 out of 10.
