Based on a true story, The Perfect Wave, is a family oriented, coming of age movie, set against thrilling backgrounds of the international twenty-something world of tropical and exotic surfing in New Zealand, Bali, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Island of Mauritius.

Ian McCormack leads a mundane life in Christchurch New Zealand. He is a twenty-four year-old latent teenager who sets off in search of the perfect wave. He drags his closest surfing buddy along with him, tempting fate and the call for a wild adventure. His overly protective, religious mother reluctantly sends him on his way tearfully reminding him if he gets in trouble, turn to God. Ian’s search is a broader quest, beyond the next wave and next party. Ian discovers himself yearning for something other than the communal surf-party life. He wants, like so many young people, to go feral, to let life lead him and see what surprises it will provide. Ian pushes to continue with the journey, finding and losing love and friends as his journey continues. Finally, he finds a communal beach paradise, with incredible surf, friends, peace and fulfillment emerging from the acceptance of whatever the world throws his way. An approaching storm threatens the resort community while setting its course to ignite the outer reef into an epic surf break and provide the perfect wave he has been searching for. That night, Ian joins some friends on a night dive for lobster and, in the dark water of the reef, encounters a group of dreaded box jellyfish with venom so virulent; one sting will kill. Ian is stung five times before he knows what’s happening and struggles back to shore, where he is abandoned and left without hope.

While on route to the hospital, he realizes he is going to die. With nowhere else to turn, he remembers his mother’s parting words to call on God in times of trouble and desperation. In the back of the ambulance, he fumbles his way through the Lord’s Prayer, accepting in whatever way he knows, God’s grace. At the Mauritian hospital, Ian is pronounced dead shortly after his arrival and is wheeled off to the morgue. Ian awakes finding himself out of his own body, in complete darkness in a cold and strange place. As Ian struggles with what has happened and is lifted out of the darkness on a perfect wave, a light rising to heaven at the feet of Christ, he is forgiven, redeemed and given the choice to stay in true paradise or return to tell the world his story. Remembering his mother’s love and wanting to share what he has seen, Ian chooses to return. Fifteen minutes after the doctor had pronounced him dead, he awakens in the morgue. Ian walks out of the hospital and returns to his community of friends who are already mourning the news of his death. To their shock, he shares his story and in the morning returns home to New Zealand, his plane rising over the outer reef where he sees the most incredible perfect wave breaking beneath him.

Rated PG

Running Time 91 Minutes