Now Unlocked: Volcom’s Full Length Film ‘Lobotomy’

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a proper Volcom surf film. 

Their last, Psychic Migrations, was arguably the best team film of the past decade, landing in our lap(top)s all the way back in 2015. 

Since then, Volcom’s team has expanded to include some very exciting names — most notably Noa Deane and Jack Robinson — who feature heavily in their latest venture.

Ryan Thomas, the mastermind behind Psychic Migrations, was tasked with creatively portraying Volcom’s new cadre in a pandemic year. With no direct access to Aussie-based talents such as Jack, Noa, and Ozzie Wright, Thomas had to get creative. So he dove deep inside his own mind, rummaged around for a few months, and emerged with his egg severely scrambled. The result is the film you see above: Lobotomy.

A ‘lobotomy’ a historically misguided brain surgery, which was once used to “treat” people with psychological illnesses. This concept loosely ties the film together with brief moments of brain-centric interpretive dance, though the real theme is that the film has no theme — it’s just straight surfing from some of the most watchable surfers on the planet.

Highlights include:
– the opening section with Noa and Jack hacking away at an undisclosed wedge (1:33)
– Jack’s solo West Oz section, including multiple North Point pit-to-punts (3:45)
– Yago Dora refusing to put a foot wrong on his surfboard (6:15)
– Ozzie Wright making a mid-life career turn and becoming GoPro’s most avid ambassador (8:39)
– Balaram in beach break megatubes (13:35)
– Ryan Burch’s headless log session, which was the only way to follow up his rainbow fish section in Psychic Migrations (15:32)
– Noa Deane’s closer section, including a switch alleyoop (19:39)

Now, the astute viewer might be thinking, “Didn’t you just list every single section?”

Yes, I did. Watch the film and tell me you disagree.