Surfing is not a sport I follow closely, but one that I respect immensely and enjoy watching whenever I get the chance. That’s because it’s one of the very few sports which is almost completely dependent on the natural world and the random conditions it can throw at an athlete. The sports I do follow closely I enjoy because they seem more difficult to succeed in than others; the champions are fun to watch because the accomplishment is genuinely hard. Surfing is no exception, and it’s documentaries like A Marble in the Jar and other surfing docs I’ve watched over the years which make me want to add surfing to my regular sports viewing. That seems like a stress-free new year’s resolution, and you should hold me to it, surfing fans!
Marble chronicles the ups and downs and everything in between of the career of 30-year-old Tatiana Weston-Webb, one of the stars of women’s surfing today. Like other hagiographic surfing docs I’ve seen, it does tend to have the feel of a music video, but surfing photography itself is always so beautiful that it rarely gets boring. It is hampered a bit by its brief runtime and leaning toward hagiography — there are developments in her story which would make for something much more emotional and insightful if explored further. However, the camaraderie of her team and the competitive arc of her career thus far are more than interesting enough to hold one’s attention, provided an interest in the sport.
Born in Brazil and raised in Hawaii, Weston-Webb quickly picked up a love of surfing from her father and brother, and started surfing at the age of 8. So skilled was she that she portrayed a younger version of surfing legend Bethany Hamilton in the 2011 film Soul Surfer. Soon after came pro surfing, and career success which have spanned the last decade and a half. Despite its brevity, the film really gets across a sense of accomplishment when she does well in competition and a sense of bittersweet defeat when she comes up short. I say bittersweet because the film also gets across a sense of solidarity within women’s surfing; a real rooting-for-each-other vibe. Equally admirable is the film’s acknowledgement of just how fun surfing is as an activity, emphasized when Tatiana, her team, and other pro surfing friends embark on surf trips together. You see the joy and passion in every ride.
All of these ups and downs are summarized and sort of recapped in every chapter with Weston-Webb’s catchphrase: a marble in the jar. To her, it essentially means that every day has a blessing in it somewhere, no matter what. Director Greg Browning, one the most cherished members of her coaching team, seems to have been one of her most important marbles. He passed away in 2025 after a battle with ALS, and although it stops just short of that time period, the film does delve into the time of his initial diagnosis, and we see the emotional impact of that news on Tatiana. It’s one of the parts of Tatiana’s story which perhaps could have been explored further, but the fact that Browning has left us what is essentially a love letter to the sport he loved, the people he loved, and the future of the sport is more than enough. May we all ride the waves as boldly and beautifully as he did. | George Napper
