Netflix Pix: Planet B-Boy

What is art?  One could define the term any number of ways.  Is it merely self-expression?  The insight of the human mind into the natural world in which we live?  The very human spirit that compels us to progress; to be more than who we are?  All of these things, and so much more, can be and are represented through art.  And breakdancing, or b-boying, I believe falls into the category no matter what your definition.

The b-boy culture has at this point evolved to such a point that to refer to it as anything less than a vastly progressive, emotionally profound artistic endeavor on the cutting edge of human/body understanding would be a lie.  The limits to which human imagination, creativity, and physicality are stretched through breakdancing are at once mind-boggling and infinitely beautiful.  In so many ways, b-boying represents the struggle of the world at present, perhaps even throughout its history, and is a way of storytelling and human interaction like no other.

Planet B-Boy strives to represent this underground culture with respect, by showcasing the best b-boy teams in the world and helping you understand their personal struggles to continue the art form they love.  Starting you off at a frenetic pace, with graffiti-like graphics scrawled across the screen, Planet B-Boy trickles down into the truly remarkable stories of 5 b-boy crews from different parts of the world.  The documentary recounts the amazing history of b-boying, poignantly illustrating the struggle of its adherents to make it the art form it is today.  It strives not only to show us the crew's journeys to become the best, but how 'the best' is not a singular notion, but a space reserved only for those crews who truly understand cooperation, self-sacrifice, and love.

Perhaps the most touching understanding of the film springs from the realization that the b-boys don't even seem to realize the groundbreaking (pun intended) progression of what they are doing, the masterful monument to humanity's artistic potential... they just do it because they love it.  And in many ways, that's the most artistic expression of all.  Planet B-Boy.  Our Netflix Pick.

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