"Bra Boys" puts sympathetic spin on outlaw surf culture

An odd and suspect mix of documentary and public relations, "Bra Boys" is co-directed by one of its story's principal figures, who is clearly angling for a positive spin on some ghastly events.

The film is also narrated by Russell Crowe, who is directing a dramatic feature, also called "Bra Boys," about a murder trial at the center of this movie. Crowe's film is set for release next year.

All of that makes it hard to watch the sometimes mawkish, self-serving "Bra Boys" and not feel like one is being hustled.

Still, there are things of interest. First, the "bra" in "Bra Boys" is a nickname for Maroubra, a depressed suburb of Sydney, Australia. The usual problems of family instability and youth violence accompany the town's doldrums, and alienated kids, as is the case everywhere, find one another and form surrogate families.

What makes Maroubra unique is that the tribal instinct of its restive children dovetails with a strange history of an outlaw surf culture.

"Bra Boys" begins with an overview of Australia's colonization, which involved the killing and subjugation of indigenous people. As Australia gradually became a commonwealth, surfing was actively discouraged for its association with native culture. During part of the 20th century, surfing was even taxed, and surfers of both sexes were briefly compelled to wear heavy skirts.

That outsider stigma is a driving force for some of Maroubra's young male surfers who, for years, have belonged to the Bra Boys, a reckless and violent gang. As co-director Sunny Abberton, a senior Bra Boy, tells it, however, the tribe has offered brotherhood and mentorship to kids looking for role models and a place to belong.

That's undoubtedly true, but the evidence on screen is that the Bra Boys also enjoy bloody punchouts, street riots against cops, tangling with other gangs and generally filling up their days with scenes that look like outtakes from "Lord of the Flies."

Abberton, the oldest of four brothers partially raised by a grandmother but often on their own on the beach, certainly has a vested interest in stoking our sympathies. One of his siblings, accused of murder, stood trial, a protracted event captured on film with more soppy coverage than a dozen reality TV shows.

It's not that Abberton's clan doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt or that the phenomenon of the Bra Boys isn't worth discovering. But "Bra Boys" is more propaganda than examination.

Tom Keogh: tomwkeogh@yahoo.com