Ebb and Flow

A portrait of resilience as a young deaf father navigates daily life in Recife

Ebb and Flow follows Rodrigo, a young deaf man from Recife in northeast Brazil, as he moves through the routines that shape his life. The documentary observes him without commentary or interviews, allowing the viewer to focus on the details that define his day. He works in a small car dealership on the outskirts of town, where he installs audio equipment and tests it through the vibrations that run through the machinery. Although he cannot hear the sound itself, he has developed inventive ways of understanding its quality. His funds are very limited and the discovery that his ex wife has been keeping his disability money for herself adds another layer of difficulty to his situation.

The film presents Rodrigo as someone who remains optimistic despite these pressures and who finds ways to hold his own in a hearing world. At home he is a caring father and his daughter is fully adapted to life with his limitations, moving around him with natural ease. The documentary’s camerawork highlights the presence of sound in his environment through movement and rhythm, reflecting how it pulses through his daily experience. Ebb and Flow was produced as part of a project by the ArtAids foundation to promote the work of artists who support the fight against HIV Aids. After being scouted, the director Gabriel took part in a selection process before being chosen to make this film.