It follows the story of two best friends, Fabio and Naama, as they navigate their way between the pitfalls of life in the slums and the joys of surfing on their favorite beach. Their goal: to win the contest and become professional surfers.
Gentle, touching and beautifully captured, this is the best surfing documentary since Riding Giants.
Beautiful, sun-bleached scenes, dialogue and emotions stay with you, like tidemarks.
This is a happy movie with a swing to it, and a corrective to the fetishisation and glamorisation of gangsterism that sometimes characterises movies about Rio.
There’s salt on its skin, samba in its bones. It’s a film you don’t so much watch as bask in, fearing sunburn.
The picture of favela homelife is hugely depressing, though both boys brighten the mood with flashes of humour and a cavalier attitude to the ever-present possibility of death.
The film offers a valuable insight into the underside of a country that's about to host the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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