Brazilian Charger Lucas Silveira's Heady Film 'Onde é lá'

Originally posted on SURFER | By Chris Dodds | Last updated May 27, 2025 3:13 PM ET

Of all the surf edits and short films, it’s rare to find one with a philosophical narrative. There is plenty of dialogue in vlogs, of course, but it’s often straightforward like, ‘yeah, its super early and we just made some coffee, going to go check the waves soon.” Or something like, ‘there’s new swell’s filling in, it’s looking like it could be really good.’ There are plenty of documentaries that tell great stories but, aside from that, it can easily feel that true narrative is hard to find in a surf film today.

That's why I was pleased to watch “Onde e la” by Brazilian charger and prolific vlogger Lucas Silveira. The narrative is in Portuguese and the literal meaning of the title is “where is there”. Beyond the literal question of a physical destination, it is more about destinations in life and career and begs the question, do you ever really get there?

He explains that while growing up as a talented surfer people would always say to him things like, “don’t give up, you’re almost there”, or, ‘keep going, you’re going to make it there soon”. Although it's easy to understand these things as general words of encouragement, he questions this perspective.Essentially responding, there is where you make it.

“I think the goal is to simplify things as much as possible because lasting happiness comes from appreciating the simple things. My happiness, my there, well I’m already living it. It revealed itself to me when I was very young, as a dream. Now I’m in it and, as things go, we have a tendency to look outside at other things too.”

We have a tendency to always look at others and say, “you’re living the dream” without realizing or acknowledging that we are too. Result-oriented success, or status based on external validations, isn’t the root of true happiness because it’s fickle. Even if you beat the odds to become World Champion, it’s only for a moment before the whole thing starts back over.

Even without understanding the words, the surfing speaks for itself and showcases incredible sessions from giant Floripa, Fernando de Noronha, Portugal, and Hawaii. Be sure to check out his YouTube page for more.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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