If moviegoers were to vote on the one genre that best embodies the classification of seen-one-seen-’em-all, surfing films would sweep the election. For every Big Wednesday and Riding Giants, there are literally hundreds of vanity docs, the sole fixation of which is to track the perfect wave. Say hello to another happy exception: Breath follows the story of an adult male — with zero creepy undertones — who uses surfing as a means of teaching two boys (Samson Coulter and Ben Spence) how to come to terms with fear. Simon Baker stars, directs, and co-adapts Tim Winton’s novel, and there’s not an ounce of sap to be wrung from his behind-the-camera debut. It’s even as splashy to look at out of the water as in. Clearly Baker’s time spent working for Curtis Hanson, George Romero, and Martin Scorsese has paid off. Note to the sound department: women’s voices deserve to be heard, but damn if I could understand one word that came out of romantic lead Elizabeth Debicki’s mouth. (2017) — Scott Marks