Drift

In the late 1960s, two brothers in Sydney flee a violent home by stealing the family car as Kat's partner sleeps. They drive across the continent seeking a fresh start somewhere far away. Their mother Kat stays behind, while the boys press on toward a new life.

They reach the coast south of Perth and settle in a caravan park at Seacliffe, choosing a new base by the sea. The brothers and Kat enroll the kids in a local school, while Kat continues piecework sewing to make ends meet. The move marks the first step toward a life centered on surfing, rather than violence, back home.

By 1972, the brothers are young adults living with their mum in a run-down beach house. Andy works in a timber mill, while Jimmy wins the Seacliffe Amateur surf title, yet remains restless and prone to petty crime. The undercurrents of potential and trouble begin to define their world.

Andy and Jimmy forge a volatile alliance and spearhead a home-grown business, crafting wetsuits and surfboards in a backyard garage as Kat sews for extra cash. They attract some sales but are refused a bank loan to scale up. The idea of making surfing their livelihood starts to take shape despite early resistance.

JB, a renegade surf filmmaker, and his Hawaiian companion Lani roll into town in a converted bus, attracting attention with their anti-establishment vibe. They meet the brothers and set up Drift as a local venture, which carries the promise of wider recognition. Their arrival introduces a new mentor-like dynamic and the potential for real change.

The biker gang led by Miller begins pressuring Drift as the business grows, while a heroin shipment is concealed inside surfboard blanks bound for the shop. The brothers become suspicious when shipments vanish and debts mount. They unravel the scheme just as danger closes in.

Gus, the drug-addicted surfer used by Miller, tries to quit and ends up paddling out into the surf to take his own life. The tragedy intensifies the gang’s grip and raises the stakes for Drift and the entire town. Andy and the others must confront a grim new reality.

Andy's relationship with Lani strains his bond with his brother and JB, who questions their expansion and the cost to their souls. The tension between loyalty to family and loyalty to the dream of surfing’s future grows sharper. The crew must navigate conflicting visions as external threats loom.

A town-hosted pro surfing competition becomes the stage for a turning point. Andy enters to fund the vendetta against the bikers, while Jimmy, after an internal journey, returns to win in sight of a Hawaiian pro. In the final moments, Jimmy rides a massive wave, is photographed by JB, but wipes out and is injured on the reef, losing the contest as Andy saves him.

With money tight, Kay contemplates selling the family house to the bank, but Drift’s momentum shifts when JB’s photo on the front page proclaims “The future of surfing.” The shop fills with customers and money starts rolling in as Andy burns the house deed to celebrate. The community’s faith in Drift is vindicated.

Jimmy is asked to join the world pro surfing tour, a move that would take him away from Seacliffe and into a broader surfing world. He hesitates, then accepts, encouraged by JB, who hints that Miller has been arrested thanks to a police tip and a planted hash. The choice marks a turning point for the brothers’ future.

JB departs on his bus for unknown future surf breaks as Andy, Lani, and Kat wave goodbye from the shore. The town’s dream adapts to a larger, global surfing world, leaving behind their old life but carrying the memory of Drift. The story ends on a note of possibility and the legacy they created.