This surf documentary follows a local Aussie surfing tribe called the Bra Boys. It has won numerous Best Documentary Awards (X-Dance and EXTRA Filmink) and it is currently the highest grossing documentary in Australian history. It is narrated by Russell Crow which is an unlikely choice since Russell seems like a whole different kind of bloke than these counter cultured surfers.

The Bra Boys are a crew of locals from a beachside ghetto, near Sydney, called Maroubra. The Bra actually comes from the Board Riders Association (BRA) rather than What up Bra?, brasserie or even MarouBRA. Many would call them a “Surf Gang”, which sounds about as ridiculous as “Beachside Ghetto”, but both phrases apply here. Maroubra is a heavily localized break which is known for violence on the beach.

The leaders of the group are the Abberton Brothers who are established surfers. Koby Abberton is one of the premier big wave professionals in the surfing world. His older brother, Sonny Aberton, wrote and produced the doc, while the other brothers narrate many of the sub-stories.

Drunken fights with police, killing boys in their crew, and getting involved in race riots are only a sample of the less admirable escapades chronicled in Bra Boys. While the tale of brotherhood overcoming adversity is very positive, some of these guys are seriously f***ed up. 

Much of what drew me to this movie was the footage of world class surfers taking on some of the heaviest waves in Australia (see above). While the surf footage was amazing, it was overshadowed by the troubles of the gang and at times it felt like this movie was just a platform for them to clear their name. After all, the movie was created by members of the crew, so it is very one sided with respect to all of their controversial activities.

Highlights of the film include: great surfing at Cyclops, OURs, and Teahupoo ; competition footage of Kelly Slater getting beaten by Koby Abberton at a Maroubra Contest; and the end credit’s Brohym-like punk anthem called “Times We Had” by The Camels.

It’s worth a watch especially if you like surfing or brawling Australians, but it’s not a must-see.

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