Peaking Through the Sand

Peaking Through the Sand is a story about the resilience of a single mother, Dany, who lives in Tubarão, a favela rooted in tradition. She supports both her son, Paulo, and her community through prioritizing education and environmental nourishment. Dany values education and wants to keep her son enrolled in private school; however, a lack of funds halts her goal. Paulo is a direct representation of power within Bahía that stems from the educated youth. A strong tradition within Tubarão is clam collecting, which began as a survival tactic for the indigenous people; however, today, it has been transformed to a community-building pastime activity. Dany collects clams as an opportunity to strengthen the relationships within her community and with her son. In this film, Dany takes us through a day in her life: bringing Paulo to school, picking him up and finally, clam collecting together. Ultimately, Peaking Through the Sand is all-encompassing of a generational cycle modeled by the loving and happy relationship between a mother and son.