Through the successful direction of Sunny Abberton and Macario De Souza, their intention to legitimise the struggles of the Bra Boys surf community is achieved in their confronting documentary, Bra Boys: blood is thicker than water. Filmed over 3 years and released in 2007, the documentary follows Maroubra’s ‘bra boys’ surf gang, primarily focused on the Abberton brothers; Jai, Koby and Sunny. The audience is positioned into accepting the bra boys as a fringe-group that have been victims of social injustice, who have turned to the ocean and their brotherhood as protection from the adversity surrounding them. Through the effective utilisation of various film techniques, and objective documentary characteristics, the audience is provoked into believing the reality presented by Abberton and De Souza; that social adversity can be overcome.
Primarily, the audience is encouraged to accept the Bra Boys as a loyal group of surfers concerned with overcoming their social adversity whilst defending their ‘tribe’. As children, the bra boys congregated at ‘ma’s’ house as an escape from their domestically violent and low income families. This is particularly …show more content…
Music is used abundantly as one of the most effective techniques, with lyrics like “we’re causing trouble” accompanied by clips of the bra boys wreaking havoc. Sombre music is paired when Jai is visibly upset, awaiting his verdict, while triumphant, upbeat music is played upon his relief, as audience emotions are excellently manipulated. The tune ‘my brother’s keeper’ is repeated during climatic scenes, as the sense brotherhood loyalty is always dominant. This sense of tribalism is enhanced symbolically by the strong grip handshake combined with the ‘my brother’s keeper tattoo’. These techniques combined are well crafted in creating a strong emotional response from the audience in consideration of the reality these bra boys
Primarily, the audience is encouraged to accept the Bra Boys as a loyal group of surfers concerned with overcoming their social adversity whilst defending their ‘tribe’. As children, the bra boys congregated at ‘ma’s’ house as an escape from their domestically violent and low income families. This is particularly …show more content…
Music is used abundantly as one of the most effective techniques, with lyrics like “we’re causing trouble” accompanied by clips of the bra boys wreaking havoc. Sombre music is paired when Jai is visibly upset, awaiting his verdict, while triumphant, upbeat music is played upon his relief, as audience emotions are excellently manipulated. The tune ‘my brother’s keeper’ is repeated during climatic scenes, as the sense brotherhood loyalty is always dominant. This sense of tribalism is enhanced symbolically by the strong grip handshake combined with the ‘my brother’s keeper tattoo’. These techniques combined are well crafted in creating a strong emotional response from the audience in consideration of the reality these bra boys