All language subtitles for Balomania.2024.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.GG - YTS.BZ]

Downloaded from
YTS.BZ

Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.BZ

Look at that, Sissel, look at it,
isn't it madness?

Film it.

Film it!

Let's go, let's go!

I think it's too much...
emotion for her.

It's up in the sky.

The balloon's coming back.

It came back.

It’s up there, look.

It’s windy here...
You have to go underneath it.

Take the gravel road and step on it.

There’re several short cuts around here.

Everybody
chasing the same light in the sky.

Maybe that’s what connected us.

As long as the balloon was flying
it belonged to everyone.

Even the police.

Years gluing pieces
of silk paper together,

only for them to be launched into the sky

for anyone to claim.

You just had to be the
first one to get there.

There’s no entrance there.

You should’ve turned back there.

Are you afraid of speed?

A little...

Don't worry!

There's an airbag.

Are you afraid or what?

14 hours chasing the same balloon...

...that had been released
in São Paulo at 7PM.

It had already crossed three states,
until falling somewhere around here.

Let's go, I'll help you cross.

In the end, it’s not only about
being the first to get to the balloon.

If you want to be remembered,

it’s about how much you went through...

...in order to get there.

Are you ever gonna give up?

Only when I die.

In Brazil’s two largest cities

the balloon gangs are challenging the law,
spreading danger and fear.

To transport, manufacture or release
balloons is a crime.

The penalty is between 1-3 years of prison.

São Paulo’s military police
have announced, they’ll work together

with police intelligence
and the population...

...to prevent the balloon gatherings
from happening.

If a baloeiro is detained, the informer
will receive a 2000 reias reward.

The baloeiros say it's a
thousand-year-old art form.

They say that balloons run in the blood.

That they’re passed on
from generation to generation.

But for those not born
into the balloon world,

the legend goes, that they'll appear
at the right moment in your life.

I was 19, when I saw a balloon
for the first time.

You arrive in Brazil
without speaking the language.

You take the first name they give you,

because your real name
is too hard to pronounce.

You let “Simba” speak for you.

Simba Safari.

You don't have a place to stay,
but you know you can’t go back.

So you keep moving.

But you still don’t
move fast enough...

Most of them run into traffic and get away.
One woman is caught.

After I got caught, I realized,

I could continue
writing my name across the city.

But at the end of the day,
I was on my own.

I wanted to be part of something bigger.

When I told someone I painted with,

I’d seen stars
flying out of the favela,

he asked me whether I knew
about the balloon world.

At first I thought he was tripping.

But then someone else mentioned
a secret society of “baloeiros”.

They weren’t baloeiros,
or balloon men themselves,

but one of them was taught by his uncle

how to make small balloons,
before he died.

There it is Jaba. There it goes!

- Damn...
- Damn, it made it. It’s leaving.

You made it perfect, bro. The contrast
between the colours.

I get it, you used the white
to separate the colours. It’s mad bro!

Damn, when it hit the light pole
it made my heart freeze.

I thought it wasn’t gonna make it.

They told me other stories
of balloons the size of buildings.

Balloons that flew in the sky for days.

But it was a closed world,
especially to women.

From that day,
I couldn't stop looking up.

She comes all the way from Denmark
and she likes balloons.

There's no balloons there.

Don't ask me how.
It’s a miracle!

Alone with her camera.

Laughing in our faces,
filming everything we’re doing.

- Who are the baloeiros?
- All of us!

You, me, her, all of us!

All of us.

The problem was everybody
seemed to know something,

but nobody was willing to talk.

Do you know how to make a balloon?

- You can’t make balloons from plastic bags.
- But I want it to fly very high.

Do you know what the police did?
They pointed a gun in my face.

Because of the balloon?

Yeah, but only because the balloon’s flag
broke a window.

- But are you gonna become a baloeiro?
- I will!

Even if it's forbidden?

It's an art.

People express themselves
through the balloons, I’ve heard.

It’s big.

It’s a monster!
There's more over there...

Do you see how big it is?
Look how big this is!

- A tribute to Brazil, no?
- Yes.

Don't you think it's beautiful?

It is beautiful, but it's forbidden.

Now let's get over here.

Did the baloeiros disappear?

I don’t think they disappeared.
I think they’re hiding.

Any moment a new balloon will appear.

- But where do they hide?
- Where do they hide?

I know one.

See, he knows a baloeiro...

In the beginning, I followed
all the clues I came across.

He is shy...

They told me the balloons had been
a religious tradition for over 300 years.

That back in the 80’s there were so many
balloons you could barely see the sky.

But now the media called
the balloon world a mafia.

They claimed the baloeiros worked
like cartels across Brazil’s biggest cities.

Sure, paper and fire
can sometimes be dangerous,

but why were the police
persecuting the balloon culture

as intensely as traditional,
organized crime?

Compared to the war on drugs that had
killed around 60,000 in just one year,

the war on balloons
seemed surreal.

That day I was taken to meet
the Godfather of a baloeiro.

At the back of his house he was hiding
a giant balloon, I might be allowed to see.

He must be sleeping.

We used to fly kites from there...

Kites... Balloons...

This is my Godfather.
Didn’t you want to meet him?

My neighbour already saw me
releasing a balloon.

If it leaks, I'll smash your phone
- and your face.

This shit is madness.

If the police arrives,
I'll say it's yours.

You're the one who wanted to hide it
in your house.

- Can I see just a corner of it?
- No.

Don’t you want to give up?

I already told you how it works.

But how can I get to see one?

He wouldn’t tell me more.
I guess this was part of the game.

Maybe they’d only close the door
to see if you'd look for a window.

Later that night he introduced me to the
guy behind the weekly baloeiro gatherings.

They took place in a bar near the exit
of City of God in West Rio.

Nobody knew him by his real name.
They called him "Playboy".

Playboy was apparently
a big deal in balloon hunting.

This is it, people,

A 24 metre tall balloon
made by my brothers, The Genius Crew.

Fuck! Come this way!

No! No! No!

Let it come.

Let it come.

Let it come!

Let it come! Fuck!

Oh, a 24 metre balloon.
The best balloon hunt in my life!

- Why are you washing the car?
- For the balloon hunt later.

- For what?
- The balloon hunt later.

To see balloons.

Does the car need to be clean to go
on a balloon hunt?

Of course, it's company.

It’s part of the gang,
it needs to be clean.

- She likes balloons too!
- Do you like balloons?

We like them a lot.

But they set up really big ones.
They can't be released from here.

It has to be from another location,
then access gets difficult.

But they’re gorgeous. Really beautiful.

Leandro, take it!

So tell me...

The sun has almost gone down
behind the mountains there.

Come on sun, set please!

So what happened that time you
got arrested for balloons?

Well it sucked, of course,

to be stuck inside a 3x3 meter cell
with 16 other inmates.

14 would stand up. The others sat.

So we took turns.

12 hours on my feet.
I was already 24 hours without sleep,

because the balloon fell in the morning,
so I’d been on the run all night.

- But when did you get out?
- I don't remember.

I just remember I was so hungry.
When I got out, I was starving.

I went home and ate...

18 hamburgers from McDonalds,
that were brought to me.

4 cups of Coca cola.
Then I went to sleep...

But I was all anxious.
Next day I was hunting balloons again.

I got out on Saturday evening.

And on Sunday morning
I was chasing balloons again.

And I got up on the roofs again.
It's impossible to explain this passion.

I didn’t need to hear much more.
I was determined to go on a hunt myself.

But they made it clear,
it was like any other team sport.

I’d have to earn my spot,
and prove my worth.

And I was starting at zero.

I had to be ready at all times,

just in case an opportunity appeared.

Ironing clothes to go balloon hunting...

You think baloeiros are trashy?
Baloeiros aren't trashy.

They’re people just like anyone else.

What's up Betinho?

There are two balloons going up tomorrow
a Golfier and a Truff.

8 and 10 meters...

Call me tomorrow.
I'll have more information.

It's going towards the beach!

What a joke.

But just getting on the hunt
wasn’t enough.

If I messed up, or we didn’t catch anything,
I’d be considered a bad omen.

And nobody wants to hunt with a bad omen.

Go, go, go, hold the mouthpiece tight.

Playboy told me the majority
of the bigger balloons that fell in Rio,

were made in São Paulo.

And if I thought this balloon was big,

I couldn't even imagine
what a Giant would look like...

That weekend a legendary balloon crew
from São Paulo was visiting.

That’s how I met Jaba
from the Sandu Mosaico Crew.

We're from São Paulo. We came to Rio
to see friends.

If God allows it,
we’ll see some balloons tomorrow.

- Do you hunt balloons?
- Not my crew.

In 2006 my crew released the biggest
balloon in the world. Lelo and us...

Sandu Mosaico.
10th of June 2006. 72 meters.

10th of June 2006.

Look at this, look everyone!

72 meters!

It was last seen in Bahia,
300km offshore.

That's us.
Now we almost have another one ready.

A new one.

I wondered what it would be like
to be part of the release of a Giant.

I asked Playboy
how I could make it happen.

You gotta be careful who you talk to...

about the big balloons.

The info shouldn’t be spread.
It’s private. Only the crew needs to know.

The rest of us will only know
at the last minute.

I can't tell you any more details
about when it'll be released...

I don’t know.

Even I don't know.

But it's going up for sure.

And when it does...

It's a big balloon.

A big one.

It's not just: 'set it up in a field,
and it's ready'.

The people who think it's easy,
they have no idea what it's like.

They have no idea what it takes
to release a 60m balloon.

What's it like then?

Fuck...

One day I'll have the opportunity
to experience a balloon like that.

That’s it
Now break, break!

Now you can go.

See ya bro!

There’s no way
you can hide that balloon.

Don’t lie.
You know there’s no way.

- Of course there is.
- No way.

You'll only see it, if you look
at the sky from early May.

That’s the only way you won’t miss it.

Looking at the sky! Good one...

That way you won’t miss it.
All right...

There's no way you
can hide that balloon, bro.

And I'll be there on the field.

I'll be yelling:
"See Jaba, suck on that.”

“I told you I was gonna be here,
and I'm here bro".

I'll be there, fucking with you
at the lead ropes...

Bro, Im telling you, I’ll be there. Damn.

Let me tell you...
- Our balloon...

You won't even get close to it, bro...
I’m serious!

It's not like other balloons you see.

Our balloon is in another league.
You don’t get it man.

I’m telling you bro,
try to get close, so you can actually see.

- Just try.
- You’ll see.

Yo, you with the camera.

Are you gonna be in Brazil in June?

God willing.

So my Danish people, chill, 'cause she
will have the opportunity...

Only her...

But also you won't be able
to escape Brazil.

The invite came earlier than I expected.

I followed him to the secret headquarters in
São Paulo, where the Giant was being made.

What’s up, people?

Hey Jaba, it’s been a while bro!

- Hey, Lil Jaba!
- What's up, Paulo?

What's up, Boss. This is the boss. Hey!

- Tell us what’s going on in São Paulo, no?
- No, no, not São Paulo.

- Hey Neguinho!
- Hey Jaba, keeping it tight?

This is the Pavarotti flag.

- Pavarotti?
- Pavarotti!

- But why did you decide to make him?
- This I can't answer...

Why Pavarotti? Because the people
like opera. Alexandre made it.

Alexandre is the one I told you about.
He’s the crew’s designer. Look!

Hold it there, stretched out.

- She has to see it full size.
- We don’t have the other piece.

At first I thought Pavarotti
was the Giant balloon.

But no. It turns out a good crew always
has several balloons in production.

The difference was
Pavarotti would carry...

...a paper flag the size of
a football field,

whereas the Giant
would carry three tons of fireworks.

It’s keeping me awake at night.
I’m anxious.

In every one of these little holes
there’ll be a little rocket.

Twenty thousand firework rockets.

It's a dream to release
a balloon like this.

I’ve only ever seen other
people’s balloons,

but now it's our turn
to release one like this.

The motto we baptized this balloon with, is:
“The night will turn to day”.

So we'll...

chase this idea until the end.

Keep it tight Jaba.

Take care Negão.

He's delivering pizza... People don’t want
to cook, and it’s only Monday.

He used to live here,
in the shacks down there.

Now he’s succeeded,
he’s got a motorcycle and a car.

You get it, right?

I want that too. Not that I’m jealous.
But you know, you have to have goals.

You have to chase them. If you don’t move,
you’ll grow roots, like a vegetable.

São Paulo is a city that if you work,
damn bro, you can earn money.

You get it? São Paulo, if you work hard,
damn... you’ll make it.

But in a city like São Paulo,

where 22 million people
all want to make it to the top,

you gotta find a way
to rise up from the concrete.

Despite the massive
police operations against balloon-making,

the baloeiros said there were at least
two million baloeiros across Brazil.

Every weekend a new balloon was released.

Crews that didn’t have a balloon ready...

...were chasing other people’s balloons.

But you had to be close to the crew
in order to get the coordinates.

He always said he was my friend,
motherfucker.

My friend Ricardo just called to confirm
we're going to see a beautiful balloon.

It's going up today.

I'm just gonna get changed.

This isn’t the right dress code
to see a balloon.

The adrenaline is gonna rise.

I told him, I know you’re a true baloeiro.
That you love it for real.

But many out there have bad intentions.

Bro, the coordinates that leaked
are from the exact location...

Fuck, that’s messed up.

Did the police car see you entering?

- Did they?

- I don’t know. They stopped for a bit.
- And we didn’t move either.

How long did the police car stop for?

I’m not sure. It went straight ahead.
Then we entered, and it appeared again.

But did they see you?

That dawn we were going to the balloon
made by the Arte Enigma Crew.

What's up Grow, are you happy?

We're finally here after six years.

It's done.
It's ready. It’s being filled with air.

Imagine doing something for so long
without being able to tell anyone.

We’ve done it, fuck yes!

Chill Jacaré, we’re not there yet.
- Fuck off!

Release it, release it!

Let’s go, let’s go!

I had the same feeling in my stomach
as the first time I fell in love.

Where is everyone?

- What happened?
- The police came.

Let’s go, let’s go.

Sissel, get your feet moving!

Take the other side.

I told Marcelinho to take the back road.

Holy Mary,
look at how beautiful it is right there.

I ain’t getting any more charges
on my criminal record. Are you kidding me?

Once you see the balloon, you move.

But why are the balloons
chased down like this?

Because the media
are after us all the time.

Killing us slowly.
Calling us tramps, criminals.

They’ve even created campaigns
to make neighbours snitch on us.

People end up feeling
seriously threatened by that.

Baloeiros are hard workers, not tramps.

You need money to release balloons.

So here we are.
Going with faith.

What kind of job is it?

Parking cars in a parking lot.

It’s what came up.

I hope everything goes well...
I’ve never done this.

But I know how to drive,
so let’s go, right?

- Only by doing it, you’ll know if you’re capable.
- Could you imagine working with balloons?

To make money, no.

I can’t make money with balloons...

Who you were in the balloon world...

...had nothing to do with
who you were in the real world.

But life outside the balloon world
was never talked about.

But have you applied for anything else?

- No, only this one. But it's good there.

The benefits are good.

It’s okay... for someone
who didn't study, what can I do?

I didn't graduate.
All I cared about was soccer...balloons...

But balloons don’t put food on the table.

Balloons end your marriage,
and everything else.

But I still like that shit, what can I do?

One, two, three...

There was only one thing that Jaba
cared more about than balloons.

I want the big one!

You can sit here, there’s space!

- Three fit here.
- Three fit there, okay.

Jaba hadn’t had a real job
since his boss died.

But now he said, he was chasing brighter
horizons for him and his son.

He’s growing up too fast.

It's crazy, isn't it?

In a few weeks
he'll be the size of the mattress.

I won't lie... Many times I cry
when I have to return him to his mom.

I look like a crazy person in the metro.

With my head down like this...
In my own world.

I don't like talking about him,
I always end up crying.

Even though Jaba was determined,

he seemed split
between two realities.

My son came to me one day and said:

"Dad, the teacher said
it's illegal to release balloons.”

I said: "Yeah son, it's illegal,
but I like releasing balloons."

“So, we'll release balloons."
I don't force anything on him.

He knows what's good,
and what's bad.

Why do you think his teacher
told him that?

He must have said in class
that his dad was a baloeiro.

Check this out Zulu. This is my baby.

It's not about being arrogant,
but it's a balloon everybody wants to see.

If Gods allows it, it'll go up this year.

When will it be ready?

It's already done.
There're just a few "cage rigs" missing.

Then the ropes need marking.
And the fire piece.

To release a balloon like that
you need minimum 50 people.

- To carry the cage rigs.
- To build everything...

If you're in Brazil at that time,
you'll be able...

to feel it for yourself on the field.

Training is training,
but soon it’ll be game time.

When the cage rigs get filled with
fireworks, it won’t fit in the room.

That's when you'll understand.

Only at the release you’ll understand.

Theory is completely different
from experience.

It'll be a massacre in the sky.

It’ll cover the sky!

Jaba's friend Zulu appeared just when
the Giant had been broken down into parts,

and spread out to different hideouts
all over the city.

There would be nothing more for me to see
until its release.

Zulu was part of one of the most
respected crews in the balloon world:

The Emenda Crew.

The Emenda Crew had already been raided
by the police three times.

Each time they’d had to find
a new hideout.

From the first moment I’d set foot
in the balloon world,

they’d been following my every move.

Their boss had sent Zulu to look for me.

All right, I'll give you the coordinates.

I'll send you along with Zulu
and someone else.

Who is it?

Turn that off.

Sergio from the Emenda Crew.

Godfather to many people,
including Zulu.

Zulu was almost like
an adopted son to Sergio.

Later on, he’d become his right hand man.

Sergio and his crew had been
essential to the evolution of the Giants.

Him and other Godfathers had laid
the foundations of a movement:

The so-called Balloon Family.

It might have started
as a Catholic tradition.

But Sergio said that over time, the culture
took on a different meaning.

In the 80’s and 90’s
all working class neighbourhoods

had their own balloon crews.

Just like the competitions between
different samba schools during Carnival,

everybody wanted
to be part of the best crews.

Balloon releases would sometimes gather
more than 20,000 spectators.

Sergio said that the problem was,
the balloons evolved too much in size,

in complexity and in the amount
they could carry.

They’d become too difficult to control.

And so in 1998 they were made illegal.

This, look... see this part? This is
what we’re doing over here. The gluing.

Apart from avoiding to get caught...

...there are several steps
that must be completed,

before the balloon will fly.

First, the sketch is made
and then everyone starts gluing.

No one will know how it’s coming together

until it's filled with air
the day of the release.

You must trust that everyone
is gluing just as carefully as you are.

Just one millimetric error
could reduce the balloon to a pile of ash.

I glue it in a certain way,
so that it takes longer to dry...

If I glue like this,
where the glue is spread out flat...

it’ll dry faster.

When it’s thicker, it dries slower.

After years of gluing,
comes another essential part:

Making “the torch”.

This is the heart of the balloon.
The key to make it fly.

A combination of melted wax, cotton
- and hands to roll it together.

The more you invest here,
the longer your balloon stays in the sky.

The torch is connected to the balloon
through “the mouth”:

A frame that holds the torch,
and the weight the balloon will carry.

This is what keeps the balloon
stable in the sky.

But none of this is worth anything,
if you don't have a strategy

for transporting all the pieces
without getting caught.

Imagine having to transport
a 70 meter high balloon...

You need several trucks,
one for each part of the balloon.

You need to divide the pieces
and send them out on different routes,

so you don't risk losing everything
in case you’re stopped by the police.

In the end, the most important thing
is to keep a tight circle.

Without the loyalty of those around you,
you’ll never see anything fly.

They conned me. They pulled
a “Calça-Arriada” and screwed me over.

That's what sucks about depending on
others.

He brought the whole family,
even the fucking dog,

and he didn’t tell me.

Can you explain what a “Calça-Arriada” is?

A “Calça-Arriada”
is when you con someone.

You schedule a release in one place, but do
it in another. So it’s less crowded.

- Have you ever been conned?
- No! Wait, yes, only with my own balloon.

I made the balloon, and didn’t see it.

But then things got heated.

How come?

I took the guy who set it up
and beat him until he almost died.

- Really?
- Of course. I broke him in two.

He was the traitor of the crew.

I spent the whole year imagining it,
and then I don’t get to see it?

- What year is this from, Zulu?
- Last year?

- No. It’s the last time he...
- Look, there’s the date.

There’s no date.

2010.

"Baloeiro of the Year".

Sissel, sit.

So, tell me what it’s like
to be married to a baloeiro?

You can be honest.

He already knows it. It’s terrible.

Terrible. It’s having a husband,
who’s never around.

From Sunday to Sunday, non-stop.

He’d go to work,
and in the evenings he’d be...

making balloons, releasing balloons,
chasing balloons.

He’d come home in the the night, and I’d be
returning from the hospital with the kids.

Sore throat, earache. We’d say “Hi!”,

and we’d cross each other at the door.

He’d ask where I was going, and I’d say
I went to see the doctor.

He was never home...

Total madness. Really, madness.
Don’t even ask me

how we’re still together,
getting along, laughing...

I have no idea,
because it’s very complicated.

All the women fight with their husbands.
The girlfriends, everyone.

- This was my first balloon crew.
- Wow, let me get a chair.

The Zodiac Crew.
That was around the 80's, 1981...

I wondered if it was possible
to become a legend,

without having to leave
something you loved behind.

What do you mean?
A balloon tonight, or tomorrow morning?

What are you talking about bro?
We're in the Top 10.

I already brought you to the batcave,
you saw what we're making.

Not to mention the one in production.
70 x 90m. The Pavarotti flag balloon.

Sweet Mother Mary!
I want to see your Freddy Krueger one.

The 35 meter one you’re never releasing.

The pião shape!
What do you need to finish it?

- Can I water the flowers?
- You can.

"The dream of the conformist,
is the reality of the crazy."

It must have been a skater.
There’s a small skateboard underneath.

Why do you like that phrase?

"The dream of the conformist,
is the reality of the crazy."

Why?...Because that’s the reality
of those who hold themselves back.

They dream about going wild,
but in the end they can’t do it.

Going all the way for your dream
was definitely seductive.

But to me it felt like throwing
yourself off a building...

...without even checking the parachute.

Two months had passed,

and Jaba's giant balloon
had still not been released.

In the meantime, we went to help
his friend prepare a balloon,

carrying 20,000 small lanterns.

He said go straight, then you'll
see the sign...Then turn...

And then what?...

- Then there should be another sign.
- There is only that sign.

Oi, we're lost, bro.
What do we do after the second sign?

Because the repression
is only getting tougher.

At this point it’s easier
to find Bin Laden than a balloon field.

How long have you been working
on this balloon, Elói?

3 years on this balloon.

And one week working in this field,
building the frame, since Sunday.

Hit harder so it’ll stay firm,
otherwise it’ll fall apart.

It won’t...

Hold it back. That way.

It’ll be fine here. Bring this here.

Elói, it’s best to put one each side.
The frame has more resistance that end.

If we have two of these...
you have to pull it back.

There’re 20 thousand lanterns to set up.

I'll give you 10 packages.
Then you'll see...

Is there a lot of rivalry in
the balloon world?

There’s some...
but in his case it's different.

He wants to make history.
It's not just about releasing a balloon...

but it's not just
about making history either.

It's about wanting to do
what nobody has done before.

That's why this is madness.

Take a walk around here, and you’ll see.
I'm telling you, it's a lot.

This time he'll make it.

Hopefully, he won't get a heart attack
when it goes up.

His heart will electrify from all the emotion.

- And if yours doesn’t go up?
- I'm used to it. I’ve lost many already.

Ah, it will...
It’ll fly. It'll succeed.

It will succeed.

- You have a lot of faith in things?...
- Always.

You have to.

You have to be realistic too?...

Yes...But sometimes I say things
that become just words.

Deep inside I know what reality is like.
Do you know what I mean?

- Really?...Why do you say it then?
- I don't know...

Well, if you actually stop
and think about reality...

it's demotivating.

"...God will never leave us...

Every day... kids are dying..."

Can I say something to the camera?
I don’t know if you were filming before, but...

I got embarrassed and lied.

- You lied?
- I got embarrassed.

- What did you say?
- I have faith in everything I say.

I do believe.

Maybe I was the kind of person...

...who needed to see something
before I could believe it.

It seemed like believing in dreams as big
as Jaba’s, took giant leaps of faith.

And I couldn’t figure out...

...the difference between faith
and fantasy.

But if Jaba’s balloon
did make it into the air...

...it would feel like anything
was possible.

3 months had passed since I was invited
to the release of the Giant,

but it still hadn’t happened.

So I went to the neighbourhood
next to Jaba’s

to meet one of the members
of a balloon hunting crew.

The Dominio Crew.

This is Brasilandia.

Known by many for its crime.

But if you see our day to day life here,
it’s far from that.

When balloons fall here, they’re all ours.

Dominio controls this area.

The Dominio Crew
didn’t just hunt balloons.

They fixed them up
and released them again.

Giving them another life.

Let's go Sissel, let's catch it!

Ton was the official tattoo artist
of the crew.

He was known all over São Paulo.

Dominio is the shit.
We catch all the balloons.

There are some things
your Mastercard can't buy.

Like this.

I couldn't decide what was best:

To put all my faith in one giant balloon,
that might make history...

...or to chase several balloons
made by other people.

I liked the idea of resurrecting
the fallen balloons.

There were balloons
that had had more than 7 lives.

A balloon was a gift
that you could keep giving.

Even when you caught it, the idea was
to put it back into the game.

Maybe I was closer
to the balloon chasers.

Chasing something I could see.

You know what the police
should worry about?

They shouldn’t worry about us,
they should encourage us.

For the simple fact that if we didn't keep
our minds focused on balloons,

we’d be on the streets exploding ATMs.

What do they want?
The police won’t give us a break.

They’re creating the monster.
Resurrecting a monster.

That's not what we want. Free our art!

It's something that keeps me
from falling into a depression.

If I’m feeling depressed, there’s nothing
better than releasing or hunting balloons.

I am a psychology student, and I wait
all week to see the balloons in the sky.

This balloon right here,
is one that we rescued.

We're always trying to make
beautiful balloons and to gain respect.

Actually, it’s not so much respect.
It's about representing your crew.

That's the pleasure of it...To show that
your crew makes the best balloons.

You have your personal life and all,
but the moment you enter the workshop...

you glue your paper,
and do this kind of work here...

You distract your mind. You forget
about your bills, about your problems.

At least for a moment.
It's like a hobby, I guess...

I prefer being inside here
making balloons

100 times more...

than being on the streets
running much bigger risks.

That are much more dangerous
than balloon-making.

What kind of danger?

Well, you know, the way society is today,
they don’t care about that.

They should worry about
the crime on the streets of São Paulo.

But instead they go after balloons.

So I prefer staying in here
making balloons,

Rather than being out on the streets,
risking to get shot in the face,

Or robbed because of a watch...
or some sneakers,

that the police don’t give a shit about.

That night I was going to see
my first firework balloon launch.

A balloon caught by the Dominio Crew,
already on its third life.

As soon as I see the ball in the air
my stomach starts hurting, I swear.

Let's go, Sissel!

I don't like to release balloons,
when there are houses nearby.

If only those two houses weren't there,
it’d be perfect.

How can he get here
from the cemetery?

- He has to turn at the gas station.
- Tell him to hurry up.

It’s the street after the gas station.
The second street.

He will have passed the first one already.

- Can I ask you about your balloon?
- What do you want to know?

- When is it going to be released?
- It depends on mother nature...We'll see.

What happened?

There’s a police car in a nearby street,
so they're hiding the balloon.

So if the cops come,
they won’t find the balloon.

This is a real mission, just like 007.

But why is it so hard
to get to see a balloon release?

Why? Because people are afraid

of the very same baloeiros snitching
on each other.

Unfortunately, that’s a real problem.

- Would you snitch on someone?
- Are you crazy?

Are you calling us rats?

If someone does that,
they'll get their head cut off.

The rope is stuck in here.

You're stepping on it, Sissel.
Move your foot.

When it goes up...run that way,
because the bombs can fall right here.

That's it family. Holy f***, it's ours!
Take that! Another one from Dominio! Damn!

Everyone came to the launches
with their own neurosis.

But once the balloon was up,
none of the problems mattered anymore.

Nothing had been solved,
but you felt lighter.

That balloon carried 200 kg of fireworks.

Jaba's Giant would carry 3 tons.

You think Jaba's balloon
is going to be mental?

- It’s going to shake the earth.

That baloeiro is gonna end the world.

Look at her filming that!

I want to see Jaba the day
that balloon goes up.

His heart is gonna stop.

It'll be the end of him.

Jaba walked down the street
to show the diameter of his Giant.

I wanted to see what he saw.

But at this point I wasn’t sure,
I’d ever manage to see it.

Or if it’d only ever exist
in his reality.

So the balloon you're gonna release,
what will it prove?

- It will not prove anything to anybody.
We’ll prove something to ourselves.

It's a motherfucker to release.

I'm going to name it Sissel. Just for me...

Because it's against the odds to find someone,
who comes from the other side of the world,

who is a baloeira...That’s as hard as
it is to release that balloon.

It's really hard to release this balloon.

It's not like the balloons with a flag,
you saw. They just rise up and go.

Every cage rig
with fireworks that goes up...

is a relief.
It’s also a pain in the ass.

It's hard, but everything will be ok,
God willing.

There was never a clear answer
about where the money came from.

Some said people would chip in
with what they had.

But the balloons that really stood out,
could cost up to 60,000 reais.

That’s where the sponsors
entered the picture.

All right, talk to you soon, brother.

Why hasn’t the balloon gone up yet?

- Because I don't have the cash
to back what I'd like to.

Our balloon...Do you understand?

The only way is to spread our legs
to the sponsors.

If I had the money, 20,000 reais, I'd say:
"There you go! Spend it all on fireworks”.

Do you get it, Sissel?
That's why the balloon hasn’t gone up.

I said it would go up during
the World Cup, and it didn’t. That's why.

It's the sponsors who have
to show up with the money.

If I had the money,
we'd already be on the field...

setting everything up!
- Dad!

- That's me, what's up?
- Look at this!

My God.

I tried to talk about something else
to lift the mood.

But asking him if he was going
to “Mouth of Gold” didn’t help.

“Mouth of Gold” was the award ceremony
for the best balloons released that year.

This year it seemed the police had been
tipped off about the event.

And at the last minute
the venue had to change location.

The new venue was so well hidden, even
the baloeiros got lost trying to find it.

Jaba didn’t want to go.

He said, he’d only go
when it was his moment.

This year there was
a special tribute to Sergio.

He took advantage of having so many
crews gathered in one place,

to pass on a message.

Tonight I want to honor Sergio
with this tribute.

All those balloons...

We’d need more than a week
to tell the story of The Emenda Crew.

That's why we wanted
to honor Sergio today.

Balloons, they’re wonderful
but they’re dangerous.

So we need to be more conscientious
when we release balloons.

We need to be aware of our purpose,
and avoid that things go wrong.

We need to prevent all the problems,
balloons can cause.

Let’s think before we release them!

Because we can’t let our art die.

What religion are you?

You have to believe in something...

If you don't believe in anything,
you're lost.

Doesn't it look like my son Matheus?

- Which one?
- There with the blue shirt on the balloon.

Even the haircut.

Isn't this kind of balloon quite dangerous?

This is the kind that causes most fires.
Think about how many candles there are.

Are you feeling the breeze?...
It's going to give us some work.

If God allows it, it’ll work out.

Holy Mother!

Be careful, go out!

Release the balloon! Release it!
It's burning!

Years of dedicated work...

...reduced to ashes
in a matter of minutes.

Some said it was the wind.

Others said the paper
had gotten too old...

...after being hidden for so long.

So when the breeze hit,
the paper cracked.

Let's get out of here.

We're sad, of course.

There's no emotion.

There's only happiness when
the balloon succeeds. That's it.

It fucked up.

Now it's just waiting another year,
and hoping the next one succeeds.

Another year to do it all over again.

Another year of work to make the
next balloon. To do it all over again.

It's that damn wind, it doesn't stop.

It could have set fire to a house.

So you think the baloeiros are wrong?

You think what I do, is wrong?

- I think it's dangerous.
- Yes, releasing balloons is dangerous.

But to the point of stopping?

Put another one on the side
and lift it up.

Wait, now let's see if it’ll hold.

Let it fall.
You have to let it fall.

You have to hide while you make it,
transport it, release it.

All the time fearing the police.

In the rush, you skip details.

That's when bad things happen.

What kind of details?

- Sorry?
- What kind of details?

Details that could be supervised better.
Checking everything more rigorously.

You end up being desperate
to release the balloon...

And lose your purpose of
making a beautiful, high-quality balloon.

You don’t have time to check it.

We believe that the true baloeiros
paint the sky...

without staining the earth.

Do you think it’s art,
even though it is dangerous?

I don’t know how to answer you.

I think it is.

Why do you think it’s art?

Because... it’s very beautiful.

And everything that’s
beautiful, is art.

Did you hear
they caught 36 baloeiros yesterday?

I did...

The environmental police are going to do
a big operation tomorrow.

- Really?
- Really.

That's why no one
is confirming any balloons.

It’s leaked,
that there'll be a big operation.

Everyone is afraid of releasing.

Some argue that it runs in the family.

That their parents and grandparents
released balloons.

They say it’s a hobby. But a hobby
must not put the population at risk.

I'm changing the law, which is currently
ineffective.

Offenders will face 5 years imprisonment.
From 5 to 8 years.

The future of balloons has come to an end.

We’ll no longer see balloons
in the skies of Brazil.

Do you think the new law means
the balloon culture will end?

- It will never end.
- No, but it’s already diminishing a lot.

It's like drugs. They'll never manage
to put an end to it.

But drugs generate money.
Balloons don't.

- I know, I'm just creating a parallel.
- They try, but it won't happen.

I know, but for example, if I sell a kilo
of cocaine I’ll earn 100,000 reais.

If try to sell a balloon, I’ll earn nothing.
I only spend money from my own pocket.

It's even worse. The balloon costs
me money, and I still have to go to jail.

And then spend money on a lawyer...

And they want to raise the sentence
to 5 years, right?

Can you imagine the father of a family
being locked up in jail for years?

Can you?

If they change the law to minimum 5 years,
I’ll have to stop.

The baloeiros weren’t making any money...

But someone, somewhere down the line, was.

The cops knew the baloeiros
would do anything

to protect what they’d been
building for years.

They'd arrive at the balloon launches
and demand 10,000 reais per head

for not taking the baloeiros
down to the police station.

And to save the balloon,
it was an even higher price.

Whoever couldn't pay,
would see their balloon set on fire.

Sure, the baloeiros were criminals,

but they weren’t criminals
who’d ever shoot back.

In the end, it was the rewards
for snitching on the baloeiros...

...that really destroyed the culture.

Paranoia and the fear of betrayal

was poisoning
the balloon family from the inside.

Do you remember I told you Elói was
a bit suspicious about what you're doing?

No.

Didn’t he tell you the other day?
Let me find it.

He said: "Don't you think this documentary
seems more like an investigation?"

I told Elói this: "I trust this girl..."

"But whoever is behind her, I don't know."
I even told Zulu.

They say: "She just films and films,
but that the film never comes out."

"There are lot of people
who don't trust her. It's complicated..."

"But to make something like that
isn't easy... It's not just making a DVD."

"It's her dream." – Zulu.

And yes,
it could have been an investigation.

I hadn’t gone undetected by the police.

They had even made me
an offer to collaborate.

And I kept changing my sim cards,

paranoid that they were listening in.

It was time to leave.

Time to finish the film
somewhere far away from here.

I realised, I'd been so focused
on chasing Jaba’s dream,

that I had lost track of my own.

I needed to believe in my own Giant.

The film was gonna end with
that balloon I talked about so much, right?

The film has to end with that balloon?

So stay, stay...

- I can't.
- You can't? So come back later.

It seems like it's my fault, doesn’t it?
"Release the balloon".

If I win tomorrow, I'll do the impossible.

If I win the lottery,
we’ll release next week.

We didn’t win the lottery this time.

But Sergio organized
the biggest farewell party I'd ever had.

It fell right on my birthday...

...Marking three years since
the balloons appeared in my life.

All the crews were there.

At least those who had believed in me.

There was even a birthday present.

I'm sad.

Finish the film,
so it can have its release.

So all the people that didn't believe
in it, and spoke badly,

can see that it's all good.

Do we have a deal?...

Sissel, I don't know if you know,
but Sergio from the Emenda Crew...

He had a heart attack
this morning...and died.

It was so fast Sissel, so fast.
He was buried yesterday.

You see what life is like, Sissel?
Fucking hell... We have to live...

...because we don’t know
what tomorrow will bring.

Sergio didn’t live
to see the finished film.

And he was the one,
who had had the most faith in me.

The things I do for you, bro!

Three years later I came back.

Jaba had released the Giant
he’d once named Sissel.

And I wasn’t there to see it.

It makes me sad to see it like this.

Now he was working every day
in a parking lot.

And said, he had no time for balloons.

This is my new home.

I used to live right there.

I'm gonna live there,
behind that palm tree.

Look at the playground.

Don't you think life has gotten better?

Remember what life was before,
and look at things now.

What did you mean by new horizons?

New horizons means getting up 4.40 am,
taking a shower and going to work.

That's new horizons.

For what?

To survive. Because...

Since I don't have any education,
or nothing like that...

...it's complicated to dream about things
you can’t achieve.

Jaba told me that
even when you leave the balloon world...

...the balloons don’t leave you.

Ton had invited Jaba
to be part of their release.

It would be my last one.

Our father, hallowed be thy name
Your Kingdom come.

Thy will be done
on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those
who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Let’s do this!

Light the fire, light it up!

Come on, let’s fucking go.

Holy fuck!