A good documentary, while engrossing, can be a bit of a downer. Planet B-Boy, the first by director Benson Lee, is a rare find within its genre. You get a close-up view of a subculture, but also an uplifting testament to the human spirit. You might even call it “feel-good.”

Planet B-Boy documents an international breakdancing competition. For the mainstream, that form went out with parachute pants. But a few grand masters—including Ken Swift and Thomas Hergenrother—give a brief history and explain how this expressive, athletic dance form blossomed in different countries, and now has a large fan base. Rival groups of “B-Boys” and “B-Girls” will challenge one another to “battles” filled with gravity-defying choreography and lightning-quick footwork. At formal competitions, the B-Boy crews add costumes, music, and thematic elements with layers of political and cultural symbolism. The biggest of these is “Battle of the Year,” where the best crew from each country competes with 22 other nations. The B-Boyers encounter a melee of ethnicities while sharing rehearsal space and primitive dorms.