Yet again, everyfilm outdoes itself, teaching me about stuff which I had no or little idea.
I had seen a couple of documentaries about Rio De Janeiro's notorious favelas but Justin Mitchell's Rio Breaks brings a whole new slant.
It concentrates on one of the ways out of the spiral of gang membership in the ghettos - surfing.
Every day children, without money and, otherwise, without hope, gravitate to the beach.
They dream of becoming pro surfers and earning themselves a route out of the abject poverty of the slums around Rio.
Mitchell's film follows two 13-year-old's Naama and Fabio who come from the same neighbourhood.
Naama despite his easygoing nature and has seen much in his short life. His brother was killed in a shoot-out by the police.
He matter-of-factly describes the day-to-day battle for survival in a ghetto in which drug lords are at war with the police first and each other second.
His relationship with Fabio is schizophrenic. He has lost a father to the gangs and has been abandoned by his mother.
While he is the better surfer, he is also like a coiled spring, often bullying his friends and playing truant from school. One senses that as soon as the surfing dream is over, the favelas will chew him up.
There are also the good guys of the hills - those desperate to keep the kids from crime. They run the favelas' surf club on a shoestring.
The club has had its successes and one of its proteges is a genuine world championship contender but the reality is that those who will fulfill their dream will be few.
Mitchell has captured the atmosphere both of the favelas and the beach brilliantly.
He lets the children do most of the talking but adds an unobtrusive commentary when necessary.
This is certainly not sun, sea an sangria. It shows the hard face of life at the rough end of Rio but still has more than an occasional smile on its face.
Rating: 8/10
PS Thanks to Debbie at Aim Publicity for my screener.
0 Comments