Ahead of the Billabong Pro in Brazil, a groundbreaking documentary film contrasts the beauty of Rio de Janeiro's famous surfing beaches with the poverty and the seductive danger of the nearby slums.
Arpoador Beach is considered the jewel in the crown of Brazilian surf spots, but just a short distance away in the hills behind the beach and the city’s luxury apartments are an enormous sprawl of favelas, ridden with gangs and gun crime. These two converse environments provide the backdrop to Justin Mitchell and Vince Medeiros’s Rio Breaks.
And if Mitchell and Medeiros were looking for two contrasting versions of childhood in a Rio slum, they could hardly have done better than 13-year-old Fabio and 12-year-old Naamã, friends from Favela do Pavão, nicknamed ‘Vietnam’ because of the many shootouts between rival gangs Red Command and Third Command, and the police.
'Despite the death of a friend in a shooting, Naamã can see the funny side of escaping from shootouts'
Fabio seems considerably older than his friend, and is often enigmatic and introverted, sometimes confrontational, perhaps unsurprisingly for an impressionable kid whose father has been murdered in a gangland killing. Naamã is the other side of the same coin – poor but keen on school, unlike the illiterate Fabio, cheeky and more upbeat. Despite the death of a friend in a shooting, Naamã can see the funny side of escaping from shootouts, and teases the film crew struggling to keep up with documenting life on the streets.
The boys’ lifeline comes in the form of the local surf club, once supported by the authorities but left to fend for itself under the stewardship of surfer Rogerio, despite having produced WQS champion Simão Romão. The film begins with Fabio and Naamã taken out by boat to see the ‘secret’ waves breaking on an offshore sandbank and giving them a view of Rio they’ve never before considered.
Rio Breaks (trailer) from Prodigo Films on Vimeo.
The surf club only give lessons to kids who study at school – the added incentive being a view of the breaks at Arpoador from the schoolroom window – and despite still skipping many classes, it’s the rebellious Fabio who flourishes to the point of entering contests and getting a chance of his big break. The boys even spend time with Big Wave star Carlos Burle, and things begin to look very promising.
This is far from a gritty film – the way it is shot and soundtracked, with plenty of quality surfing action, sunshine, girls in bikinis, marbles and kiteflying from the quiet oasis above the favela’s small alleys, and a constant flow of warm Rio music, almost make it seem at times like a kind of Brazilian boyhood idyll. But fortunately, Mitchell doesn’t allow sentiment to get in the way of the real story, which – without ruining the ending – leaves the the two boys’ ongoing friendship and their futures very much open to question.
'A true story and an inspiring film' – Maya Gabeira
The film has been well received among critics and surfers alike. In particular, Big Wave surfer and Rio native Maya Gabeira has called it ‘an inspiring film’:
“I started surfing with these guys when I was only 14,” says Maya of the surf school that becomes the boys’ focal point. “Their drive and positive attitude had a profound effect on me as a surfer. I believe in what they are trying to do – much like they believed in me when I was starting out as a surfer.”
Rio Breaks, from Mr Bongo Films, is due for UK theatrical release in London’s Leicester Square on June 3, 2011.
The film is due for UK DVD release on October 3, 2011.
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