Coming Soon: 'Friction of Perception' - A Non-Reductive Portrait Of Liam O'Brien - Stab Mag

Just Wrapped: Finals Day! Stab High Japan 2025 Presented By Monster Energy — Re-watch Below

5012 Views
No one likes to hear the same tired platitudes repeated about them ad nauseum. In LOB's case, it's that his only defining traits are being 'smart' and 'nice'. Friction of Perception hopes to add a bit more depth to his character + debunk some misconceptions.

Coming Soon: ‘Friction of Perception’ — A Non-Reductive Portrait Of Liam O’Brien

“Are you who you think you are, or who everyone else thinks you are?”

news // Feb 27, 2025
Words by Ethan Davis
Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s Friday night at Burleigh Brewing. The room is full, the smell of salt air still clinging to the crowd. Boards are leaned against walls, half-empty pints sweat onto tabletops. The projector hums, waiting. At the center of it all, Liam O’Brien–calm, deliberate, the kind of presence that doesn’t demand attention but inevitably draws it–prepares to unveil Friction of Perception, a film that is, in many ways, about seeing him differently.

Filmed across Hawaii, Australia, and Fiji–the latter the same trip that bookended R Cal’s Ripples in the VoidFriction of Perception is not a parade of slow-motion hacks and air reverses set to stock music. Filmmaker Darcy Ward, steering away from the traditional surf film formula, leaned into a more nuanced, documentary-style approach. Think Gay Talese, not Taylor Steele.

The film weaves together candid interviews, archival scraps, and an original score by O’Brien’s longtime friend and musician, Daniel L. The result: a portrait that feels lived-in rather than manufactured.

LOB, in the shadow of the bluff at Shipsterns.

For those familiar with Liam’s previous cinematic efforts—particularly his Stab Edit of the Year entry, Wandering–this film marks a distinct shift. “Wandering was raw, self-made, a lo-fi love letter to travel and surf that Liam pieced together himself,” says Ward. This time, he let go. Ward took the reins, shaping something broader, more layered.

“I can be a bit of a control freak,” Liam laughs. “But it’d be pretty weird if I made a film about myself and then edited the whole thing myself.”

Ward saw an opportunity in that. To him, Liam’s public image–the one cultivated through WSL commentary and contest soundbites–had always felt reductive.

“Every time you hear his name on a broadcast, it’s, ‘He’s smart, he’s a nice guy,’ and that’s about it,” Ward says. “Which is true, but there’s so much more depth there. He’s headstrong, brash at times, super creative. Music, literature, film–he’s into all of it. At one point, we sat for 40 minutes just talking about books during his interview.”

To capture that complexity, Ward cast a wide net. He interviewed an eclectic mix of people–Liam’s mother, his brother, childhood friends, local boardriders, tour peers–drawing out stories that build a picture of O’Brien that’s less polished but more honest. And crucially, there are no talking-head interviews, no artificial set-ups. Instead, conversations bleed over visuals. Voices overlap. No one narrator dominates. The film lets Liam’s world, and the people in it, speak for itself.

One thread that runs through all these voices: his relentlessness. Liam, the quiet tactician, the studious competitor, the guy who never seems rattled. Beneath that, though, is something more consuming. An engine that doesn’t stop. Ward recalls days where Liam would surf Burleigh at dawn, drive an hour to Lennox, surf again, then return to Burleigh for yet another session, often forgetting to eat. “I couldn’t keep up with him in the water… and I’m on land. He’s got this pure froth for surfing that’s unmatched. A lot of guys at his level start to get jaded or ‘too cool’ for it, but he’s still just completely in love with it.”

Is Hale’iwa the cruelest wave to surf over six foot on the North Shore?

With Friction of Perception, O’Brien and Ward aren’t just releasing another surf film—they’re shifting how professional surfers are presented. Moving away from the highlight reel and one-dimensional archetypes.

“Most profile films are made when a surfer is retiring or looking back on their career,” Ward says. “This one is different—it’s setting the foundation for who Liam is and where he’s going.”

And for those in the room at Burleigh Brewing this Friday, waiting for the screen to flicker to life, the story is just beginning.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

The Return of Surf100: Raw, Unfiltered, Serialized

Seven challenges across California.

Jun 5, 2025

Snow Bros, A Former WSL CEO, And The Multimillion Dollar Fight To Govern Surfing In America 

"This decision could have massive, cascading, and irreversible consequences," says the CEO of USA Surfing. 

Jun 4, 2025

Everything You Need To Know About The Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

8 surfers. 8 challenges. $100,000.

Jun 4, 2025

Coming Soon: Stab in the Dark X

Dear Diary, May was a good month.

Jun 3, 2025

If The Challenger Series Is The Answer, What Is The Question?

Surfing’s middle child returns: the 2025 CS preview.

Jun 2, 2025

The WSL Just Gave The Kids A Steak Knife

The Challenger Series gets a run at Pipeline, and a double-take at Newcastle.

Jun 2, 2025

Mason Ho Follows MP’s Trail, Discovers The Delicate Art Of Not Getting Arrested

"That’s it. We’re cooked. I just told the boys this lane was mine, now I’m…

May 31, 2025

8x World Champion Skater Pedro Barros On God, Localism, And Almost Being A Semi-Pro Surfer

Wisdom from one of the greatest two-sport talents of our generation.

May 30, 2025

Where’s The World Title Going In 2025?

A post-cut debrief featuring thoughts from world number one Jordy Smith.

May 29, 2025

Axel Lorentz Steps Down As Head Shaper At Pukas, Starts Eponymous Board Label

What comes after a twelve-year career and five Stab In The Dark finals?

May 28, 2025

Aquatic Outlaws: How Surfing’s Wild West Was Won

Before the Margaret River Pro, there were a few rogue men from Perth.

May 27, 2025

Vale Jack McCoy: The Pillar Of Surf Cinema Passes On At 76

The creator of Blue Horizon, The Occumentary, the Billabong Challenge and more goes out swinging.

May 27, 2025

2025 Belongs To Power Surfing

Jordy Smith notches first multi-win season of his career + Gabriela Bryan overpowers Caity Simmers.

May 27, 2025

Jordy Smith Is The Number 1 Surfer In The World

Yes, in 2025. A Margaret River Pro day 4 report.

May 26, 2025

This Is Why We Do It — Stab High Japan x Monster Energy 2025, Dissected

Hughie Vaughan, Mikey Wright, Sierra Kerr, Loci Cullen, and Eden Walla are your 2025 Japanese…

May 25, 2025

Watch: Finals Day Highlights From Stab High Japan Presented By Monster Energy

Episode Three of Poolside hosted by Kona Big Wave.

May 25, 2025

Re-Watch — Finals Day At Stab High Japan 2025 Presented By Monster Energy

$50,000 in prize money and the biggest chlorinated ramp to ever host a contest. 

May 24, 2025

Watch: Day One Highlights From Stab High Japan Presented By Monster Energy

Episode Two of Poolside hosted by Kona Big Wave.

May 24, 2025
Advertisement