Duvo has lived all of his 25 years in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. His young life has been complicated, marked by the inherent violence of the gangs he’s been involved with. But his world is also a magical one — a world where you can speak with your guardian angel, where your guardian angel not only looks out for you but uses their experience to counsel. Duvo’s guardian angel is Phil, a young man not unlike Duvo, who was a victim of police violence. As Phil sees Duvo’s sincere desire for peace, change and redemption from his crime bespotted past, an opportunity arises when a community kite festival in the favela is cancelled and Duvo steps up to revive the event. Redemption is on the horizon for Duvo — as is his understanding of himself and the world around him.

A beautifully crafted, visually distinct first-feature from writer-director Walter-Thompson Hernández, Kites is a lyrical, intimate portrait not only of a man seeking salvation but also a portrait of a whole vibrant community; one that is, like the kites that fly above it, connected by a delicate thread.—Jason Gutierrez

Walter Thompson-Hernández