Dojo

Synopsis

Surinamese-Dutch Brandon, a 13-year-old street urchin, and his best friend Stefano, are in danger of falling prey to the youth gang that calls the shots in his neighbourhood. Brandon struggles with his troubled home life. His parents fight a lot and he often has to take care of his little sister. He finds comfort and camaraderie with Billy, the charismatic leader of the gang. Billy gives him dangerous jobs that quickly make Brandon rise in the streets’ hierarchy.When Brandon and Stefano break into a local judo school one night, Brandon is caught by Kai, a former judo champion and owner of the dojo. Kai, who also has a traumatic past and is familiar with the tough street life, recognises something of himself in the troubled Brandon and decides not to report him to the police. But in return, Kai demands that Brandon joins his judo school, in an attempt to keep him off the streets. Brandon embarks on this new adventure reluctantly, but he turns out to be a natural becoming increasingly difficult to make the right choices.