Wednesday, May 8, 2013

DOCUMENTARY - BRA BOYS - NOTES

What is the Bra Boys? It is an Australian gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, NSW. The documentary dates back to the 1990s. Russell Crowe helped fund the project.

The gang was noted for its notoriety (violent clashes with the police.) The documentary garnered national and international attention in 2007 when the feature-length documentary was released. The motto was: BRA BOYS - BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

The documentary was both written and directed by gang members. It highlights the surfing community ties (Maroubra Surfing Association). BRA - short for MAROUBRA..It is also street slang for 'brother.' The tattoo "My Brother's Keeper' on the front of their chests, and 'Bra Boys' and the postcode for Maroubra (2035) on their backs.

The gang is territorial, that is, they took control of a Sydney reef break - Cape Solander - Kurnell. They renamed the break 'ours' in July 2007.

This documentary challenges us to give a fairer assessment of the individual characters of gang members. The point of view of each brother was an interesting study in what makes the profile of a gang member, especially Sunny, Jai and Koby. 

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