Hello!
Rio Breaks is on it’s surface a surfing documentary about two young Brazilian boys trying to get as good as possible for the big tournament. Sounds interesting enough but a little generic. However Rio breaks is about a lot more than just hitting the beach and practicing catching waves. For Fabio and Naama the beach is a safe haven from the Favela’s they live in and have grown up on.
For anybody who is not familiar with the economical and social issues that currently blight Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second largest city, here is a brief outline. The beaches represent the hub of the city and the weather and the seas are amazing. The beach front is lined with luxury apartments and 5 star hotels and the area is heavily policed because it’s this image that makes tourists want to visit Rio. Behind all this are the hills more commonly know as Favela’s, Rio’s ghettos. These places are run and ruled by gangs who are not only at war with the police but each other as well. The Favela’s are rife with drugs and violence and for most of the kids who grow up there this is the life they all expect to get “lost” in eventually. It’s this aspect that adds a different dimension to Justin Mitchell’s documentary.
As I mentioned earlier the documentary follows two boys Fabio and Naama. Fabio is 13 years old and lives with his grandparents after his father was shot dead for wanting out of the Favela gangs and his mother walked out on him and his sister. He seems to have some emotional problems and has all but stopped going to school and has a tendency to be a bit of a bully to his surf friends. He is exactly the sort of uneducated emotionally fragile character the drug lords prey on to do their street work for them. Naama is slightly younger and has a more well thought out perspective on life. Naama sees school and education as a way out of the Favela’s and the life they ultimately lead to. The boys may share environment but the way it’s shaped their psyche could not be further apart. The one personal characteristic they share is a love of surfing.
For many surfing is not just a hobby or sporting interest, it’s a way of life. It’s a way to broaden the way you look at the world and many feel it’s a spiritual connection to the sea that drives them. For Fabio and Naama it’s also a way out of their life, a way to earn money without having to sell drugs or pick up a gun. A surfer named Rogerio has with the help of other local surfers formed Favela Surf Club. It’s a club for the kids from the hills that provides surf boards and surf lessons as well as keeping an eye on the kids both at the beach and in the Favela’s. Rogerio and the other members really seem to have a genuine affection and care for the kids they are helping out which shines through in the way they try and help Fabio despite his difficult character.
I found Rio Breaks to be a documentary made with a lot of care and real interest in it’s subjects. A lot of time is spent with these boys and it shows that there are some who will fight for the lives and future of these boys. If your at all interested in the social issues of this area or surfing then I recommend you catch this at one of it’s showings across the uk over the next few weeks (details found here http://www.riobreaks.com/ ) And if your not from the uk I’d look out for it on DVD. In Fabio and Naama it shows the split in characters this environment can produce and highlights the work a few individuals like Rogerio and other members of the Favela Surf Club are doing to help their community and the kids they believe deserve, and can achieve, more than just selling drugs and ending up dead or in prison.
Anyway peace out suckers! 8/10
PS. You can also check out the website of the Favela Surf Club here http://www.favelasurfclube.org.br/. There is a donate button on there and its a really worth while cause. Just saying….