A Long Road to Tao: Finding Light and Lifting Spirits – Review and Interview

After watching A Long Road to Tao for the second time, I felt compelled to put some thoughts down in a more permanent space. The film is a gentle gut‑punch—quiet on the surface, deeply tidal underneath. Directed by Alex Carig and inspired by a true story, it follows Dayne, a blocked writer and surfer, as he reconnects with his estranged best friend Lance and confronts the reality of Lance’s AIDS diagnosis. What starts as a reunion becomes a spiritual journey through Taoism and Native American teachings, using water, wind, and open sky as both canvas and compass.

Moving, Emotional, and Uplifting

As someone who has stood alongside friends and loved ones living with HIV/AIDS, this story hit hard in all the right ways. A Long Road to Tao refuses to treat illness as just a plot device; it treats it as a teacher. When Dayne learns to “become like water,” a lesser film could veer into bumper‑sticker philosophy. Carig roots these lessons in patient, tactile images: foam hissing on sand, sun flaring off a surfboard, breath slowing to match the tide. The result isn’t preachy; it’s absorbing.

KC Deane (Dayne) and Jason Bernardo (Lance) play men with a lived‑in history—more shared silence than exposition—and their chemistry sells both the years lost and the urgency of the time left. Molly Reid and Humberto Castro round out a grounded supporting cast, allowing the film’s tenderness to do the heavy lifting rather than melodrama. The cinematography leans into elemental minimalism: big skies, bigger dunes, and water that’s always in motion, echoing the story’s theme of flow and acceptance. Larry Groupé’s understated score provides just enough emotional pulse without ever drowning out the performances.

It’s not a perfect film. A few passages in the middle third announce their ideas a little too plainly, and there’s a stretch where the pacing gets slack as we hop between spiritual signposts. Yet even in those moments, A Long Road to Tao’s sincerity wins out. It’s a story about how you carry love when you can’t carry a person anymore, and it refuses to trade that for slickness.

A Long Road to Tao: Finding Light and Lifting Spirits – Review and Interview

SHANNON | Mornings 5-9 AM PST

Why This Matters

I’ve watched A Long Road to Tao twice and plan to watch it again because it reframes closure. Rather than promising neatness, it offers presence. Instead of “moving on,” the film suggests “moving with”—with memory, with humility, with currents you don’t control. In a culture that wants epiphanies on demand, that’s a brave and necessary stance.

If your life has been touched by HIV/AIDS—or by any long goodbye—you’ll recognize the ache and, I hope, find some relief in this movie. It balances raw honesty with an uplifting grace, showing that even in the face of terminal illness, there is room for laughter, love, and meaning. I cried, I breathed, I felt lighter.

Don’t Miss the Conversation

To complement this review, I sat down with writer Michael Allen and director Alex Carig for an exclusive video interview. We talked about the real-life stories that inspired the film, how they approached the spiritual elements, and why surfing became the vehicle for such an intimate journey. Conducted by our own Shannon, the conversation digs into the heart of the film’s message and the personal experiences that shaped it.

Look for the video embedded below—or if you’re reading this on our podcast page, follow the link to watch it in full. It’s a powerful companion piece to the film and a chance to hear from the artists themselves about making something so personal and so universal at once.

Whether you’re a longtime listener to our morning show or just discovering our station, I hope this blog post and the interview enrich your experience of A Long Road to Tao. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and don’t be shy about sharing your own stories of love, loss, and resilience. After all, conversations like these help us all become a little more like water.

A Long Road to Tao: Finding Light and Lifting Spirits – Review and Interview

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