Planet B-Boy

2007, USA

Directed by Benson Lee

Spoiler level - low (speculation and allusions only)

I’m always a sucker for a good documentary, and I have long since been duly obsessed with the modern reincarnation of b-boying and how the world of breakdancing has evolved from a pop-and-lock, America-central pastime to a power-move-gymnastics, Asia-dominated sport. So when the 2007 documentary Planet B-Boy was finally released in the US I jumped at the chance to witness the latest Battle of the Year vicariously. I was expecting the usual childlike wonder I usually feel at jobs that involve a decent amount of insanity (The Great Happiness Space, Yamikaze and District B13, and good old Man on Wire) but I was not expecting to be as enthralled as I was start to finish. Of course it doesn’t hurt that I have such an affinity for the topic, but my fondness almost never builds bridges over potholes or blinds me from terrible character development.

The film revolves around an event in Germany called Battle of the Year, the sort of Olympics of breakdancing, where one team from each of 22 countries is selected to participate in the battle for title of the world’s greatest dance crew. Think America’s Best Dance Crew on crack. Now for those of you who don’t follow this sport like it’s a major league world series, winning Battle of the Year has never been about the winnings, it’s about the prestige, the bragging rights, the proof that you are one of the illest breakdancing machines on the face of the earth. Even just getting an invitation to Battle of the Year carries significant weight. So it’s no surprise you start to get yourself keyed up from mere excitement to frenzy by the time the battle actually rolls around.

Where It Excels
Planet B-Boy does a really good job of giving an accurate sense of scope for Battle of the Year. To our dance crews, it’s this humongous, life-defining, job-changing event, and one of the largest breakdancing gatherings in the world, but at the same time it’s also a big fish swimming in a tiny subculture. When they finally get to Battle of the Year, they’re staying at a school, practicing in a gym, and all sleeping in the same room. It’s got the glamour, but then again, it really doesn’t too. In fact, throughout the entire film I thought Lee did a phenomenal job of capturing those meaningful little moments; the Japanese and Korean crews puzzling over the German pudding they are served, the competitors shooting one another dirty looks, our youngest French B-Boy correcting his mother, and a million other personal moments that give an appropriate amount of realism to an otherwise overblown story. These are the best guys in the world at what they do, but it’s not all photo shoots and commercials. The whole feel is pretty aligned with the message too; it’s not just graffiti graphics and ’90s style tropes, but a more modern and cleaner version of the typical urban graphics, using a subway map of the world as a transitional device, and team t-shirts to do the job of weighty text or lower thirds.

Where It Fails
The tone it begins with is great, but at first you’re not sure whether the film is a lesson in B-Boy history or a primer in Battle of the Year. The structure is sound, but a little too predictable as well, and I would have liked to mix it up a little. While Planet B-Boy does a thorough job of delving into the five main contender’s worlds, it merely hints at the score of other dance crews also present putting their name on the line and their skills to the test. Sure America, France, Japan, and Korea are by far the most famous countries for the sport (Koreans taking the trophy seemingly more than everyone else lately), but the whole point of Battle of the Year is to give credence to the international, global appeal of breakdancing. I wanted less glossing over how widespread it is and more references to the competition. Still, I know you can only do so much in two hours.

All in All
Entertaining for sure, Planet B-Boy isn’t a work of genius in and of itself, but considering how few and far between decent movies on the subject are, Planet B-Boy was a totally welcome piece. It’s one of the few works on the subject that are high quality, true to the spirit of the contemporary movement, and do a good job dealing with the cultural incarnations of what the modern-day B-Boy is all about, rather than lamenting the loss of the traditional breaksta or demanding payment for the pastime’s period of exploitation. B-Boy culture has moved on, and its high time the films around it have too. All in all, it’s hard not to be excited by Planet B-Boy.