There is an underground culture of performing arts that often goes overlooked or under-appreciated. The artists that dedicate their entire lives to the art form often come from meager lifestyles and impoverished conditions. But when they perform, whether it lasts for ten minutes or thirty seconds, they have the power to captivate your entire soul. Planet Bboy takes place during the Battle of the Year competition in 2005 and documents the culture that originated in the urban streets of New York City and spread like wildfire all over the world. Crews from all over the world strive to be the best, and to be the best they must grace the center stage of the entire world of b-boying, "Battle of the Year." One crew represents each of the participating countries to compete in the grandest bboy battle in the entire world. The prize money is close to nothing. The true prize is to create a name for yourself, to earn respect and recognition, and most of all to be the best in the world. The documentary focuses primarily on five different crews, Knucklehead Zoo from Las Vegas, Ichigeki from Japan, Phase-T from France, Last for One from Korea, and the reigning champions the Gamblerz also from Korea.
Each crew possesses their own unique style and presence, and the documentary shows the strong bond within each crew. The power moves and stunts are crazy! However, the heart of the film lies in the individual life stories. Bboys who want nothing more in life but to dance often come in conflict with the interests of the families, especially those who live in poverty.
Planet Bboy is powerful, raw with emotions, not to mention hilarious. The interactions between the bboys and their families provide moments of heartfelt emotion and moments of true hilarity as the facial expressions on the bboys say that they've heard these lectures their whole lives. We feel for them when the pursuit of their dreams is rejected, and cheer for them when they are appreciated. Great moments also arise when the bboy crews from different countries finally get together and experience a culture shock that is both threatening and awkward.
The film has the same heart and passion as the bboys have for their artistic outlet of dance. I can't remember the last time a movie made me cry. Planet Bboy was the first film in a long time I had to pretend there was something in my eye.
I left the film feeling a deeper appreciation for dance as well as the quality of life. Life is not worth living unless you dare to dream.
