Rio Breaks

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Audience Member Beautiful and poignant. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Best docu/movie I've ever seen! U don't even need to be a surfing fan! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member In Favela do Pavao, one of Rio De Janeiro's toughest slums, life is regulated by the local, heavily armed drug gang Commando Vermelho. The favelo is enormous, and of the various areas making it up, Vietnam is the poorest - and most violent. If the gang doesn't get you, the police may well, as it is often their first port of call when looking for traffickers, and they have a tendency to shoot first ask questions later. So growing up in Vietnam is tough, to say the least. For best friends Naama and Fabio, twelve and thirteen, there is only one way out: head to nearby Arpoador Beach, and surf. They hope to become professional surfers, to beat the odds dealt to them at birth. To say that Rio Breaks offer a different perspective to Rio's favelas, surfing and life doesn't do it justice. The kids will challenge your view of the slums, and give it a serious sun tan. Forget California, Hawaii and the affluent, white beach bum image of the sport: Rio Breaks gives surfing a soul. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member A great insight into the favela culture & surf culture in Rio. The kids in the movie have a lot of talent and are very likable - but are stuck in a tough situation. A Must Watch if you're planning on going to Brazil for any length of time! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A really decent and touching documentary about kids trapped in a place full of violence and killing, with surfing being their only way out of getting sucked into the drug trafficking world themselves. The two children they focus on are so articulate and smart (particularly Naama), and their views on their situation (they both know many people killed by gangs or by cops) and their love of surfing. Since it's a documentary, nothing overly eventful happens of course, but it's the interviews themselves and the educational potential of this film that works. I came out feeling far better educated on the more dangerous parts of the world, and on surfing itself for that matter. It's a shame to see so much goodness surrounded and often destroyed by so much evil, and it's a shame that Fabio takes the evil route at the end, as is implied anyway. I'd watch this again. Very good stuff. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Rio Breaks

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