Bra Boys (2007)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Directors:

Sunny Abberton
Macario De Souza (co-director)

Writers:

Sunny Abberton (written by) and
Stuart Beattie (writer)

Release Date:

15 March 2007 (Australia)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Blood is thicker than water

Plot:

A film about the cultural evolution of the Sydney beach side suburb of Maroubra and the social struggle faced by it's youth - the notorious surf gang known as the Bra Boys.

Plot Keywords:

Surfing | Male Nudity | Sydney Australia | Gang Culture | Gang Violence

Cast

Russell Crowe	...	Himself - Narrator (voice)
Kelly Slater	...	Himself
Cheyne Horan	...	Himself
Jack Kingsley	...	Himself
Sean Doherty	...	Himself
Koby Abberton	...	Himself
Sunny Abberton	...	Himself
Jai Abberton	...	Himself
Wayne Cleveland	...	Himself
Maurice Cole	...	Himself
John Gannon	...	Himself
Mark Matthews	...	Himself
Wayne Bartholomew	...	Himself (as Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew)
Nick Carroll	...	Himself
Derek Hynd	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violent content and reckless behavior.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Maroubra, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Bradahood Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: Narrator Russell Crowe says "In 1780 after passing through the Pacific Islands, Captain James Cook sailed into Botany Bay" This should of course be 1770, as Captain James Cook died in 1779 in Hawaii.

Soundtrack:

Don't Go To Sleep

Entertaining, Insightful but Biased.

"Bra Boys" is set in the Sydney beach side suburb of Maroubra and it focuses on the culture that Maroubra Beach has created. "Bra Boys" is a tribe – they don't like to be thought of as a gang – that have each others back in the financial struggle that some of the families have. The story is centered around the Abberton family, as Russ said, with the film being written and directed by famous surfer brother Sunny Abberton. Their alcoholic mother and her violent boyfriend brought up the brothers, which resulted in the brothers congregating at their Nan's house. The brothers were brought up not only as brothers but as best friends who used the beach as an escapism from their less than prefect life. The film also follows the murder of Anthony Hines and the involvement and trail of Jai and Koby Abberton. But Sunny does not only concentrate on just his own family, but how Maroubra and the "Bra Boys" came to be, as well as introducing other people important to him like his apprentice surfer. Like any surfer needs to Sonny inserts a lot of amazing surfing footage, some quite dangerous and tense, which ultimately is the most riveting part of the film. Though the film is not without its fault, you could imagine a man proud to announce he would never divulge information about his brother, couldn't write, direct and most likely produce a film that wasn't biased. The background behind the murder of Anthony Hines seems to be extremely selective, they of course never initiated any violence and they appear to almost be a very peaceful and passive surf tribe. This seems highly unlikely and I think the brother makes a movie that he would want to see. Often the cinematography, if you could call it that was a bit rough, sometimes only with half faces on camera. But it does set the mood for the rough tribe that is the bra boys. The folky surf music and often interesting interviews provide an entertaining and insightful window into the lives of these bra boys, even if it is a very blurred window. I highly recommend it.