Kites (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

2025 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! 

Duvo (Daniel Fernando do Prado Dorea Lima) is a well known gangster in Rio, a man struggling with his ability to give back to his community amidst a time of police violence and his own wrongdoings. When presented the opportunity to sponsor the local kite festival, he sees a chance at redemption. 

Kites sets the scene immediately, with dialogue surrounding a recent incident regarding the local authorities. The tone is that of anxiety, as those traversing the unforgiving streets of Rio attempt to juggle a challenging life that continues to throw obstacles their way at every turn. The favelas slowly consume those living within its confines–and the many characters present in this film are brilliant examples of this, presenting viewers with a series of unique, but familiar individuals who share a bond, and have clearly been dealt a challenging hand. 

Kites tries to balance drama and…something else, though I’m not entirely sure what that something else is meant to be. The attempted tonal balance is ultimately ineffective. While the dramatic aspect of the film is clear, and it exists with gusto throughout, that other intended element is never fully realized, and I spent nearly the entirety of the film trying to dissect Writer-Director Walter Thompson-Hernandez’s intent. Kites is ultimately one sided, which can work when the team behind it fully commits, but that’s far from the case here. 

The best example of this in Kites is the score. I tried, again and again, to find a better way to describe the film’s score–but the only way I can think to describe it is that it sounds comparable to a score that you might find in a Disney fairytale. The score is whimsical, powerful, sometimes even overbearing–and the score itself often fails to match the intensity of Duvo’s experiences throughout. Death and the like riddle this narrative, and Kites isn’t shy to transition directly from one of these scenes to one much more cathartic, paired with those aforementioned whimsical sounds. I could not, and still can’t wrap my head around this decision–and I feel that it greatly hinders the film’s ability to convey genuine drama, stealing from its conviction. 

While it appears that Thompson-Hernández is attempting to comment on police brutality and make a firm stance against it, Kites interestingly depicts Duvo in a way that combats this sentiment. By the end of the film, what every viewer in the theater knew would happen manages to mean very little. While Duvo often masquerades as a potential savior for the favelas, the reality is that he is deeply flawed, and often in ways that make him unredeemable. By the film’s conclusion, the death we knew would eventually come seems only natural, lacking genuine emotion, and failing to wrap Kites up in a way that feels complete or even effective. 

Much like Duvo, Kites is deeply flawed–full of holes that are never rectified. While there are aspects of this narrative that appealed to me, there are holes in the execution that threaten to drown it in the early going. Strong performances, gorgeous cinematography, and a brilliant use of light to deliver Duvo’s story keeps this film afloat, but Kites is a letdown regardless. 

Written & Directed by Walter Thompson-Hernandez. 

Starring Daniel Fernando do Prado Dorea Lima, Phillipe Augusto da Silva Souza, Larissa Borges, Thiago Oliveira João Vittor Pedroza, etc. 

6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE