For snowboarder and surfer Bryan Fox, life in general is pretty good. He got engaged, does what he loves for a living, and is now the proud owner of a sweet 1975 GMC Vandura he calls The General.
Yet he always has trouble focusing on the present. Perhaps a victim of PTSD from military service, perhaps naturally fretful, his mind has trouble focusing. Instead, it drifts constantly to future scenarios that may or may not come to pass. He soon realizes that life in The General helps him not give in to the anxieties of the future and to appreciate the beauty around him.
Sreenshot from the film. Photo: Quicksilver
After receiving word that his dad’s old van was available, Bryan Fox flew to Mexico to collect his new home. He chose to live in it, simply and without luxury. For weeks, he enjoyed sunny Baja, driving the coastline hunting for the best waves to surf. He, his fiancé Kelly, and surfer friend Trevor Gordon spent their time living off the sea, driving, surviving the effects of heatstroke, and more driving.
As contradictory as it is for someone who lives nomadically, he is not used to living in the moment. He is at something of an impasse. At 36, he feels the pressure to make certain life decisions.
Shot from the film. Photo: Quicksilver
The General takes him thousands of kilometres from the desert heat to British Columbia’s wintry mountains. Here, he and a group of friends go snowboarding. Here, he is grounded. He has snowboarded since high school and feels at home in the snow. The mountains give him clarity. He has come to see The General as a tool for transition: from the desert to snow, from overthinking to peace of mind. While it is common for people to dislike change, he decides to embrace it and its inevitability.
As he soars over the powdery slopes, he embraces the moment. The snow rushing beneath his board gives him a delicious freedom of not worrying about life in general.
