From: iain
Message:
'Carandiru' is a film based on the real experiences of Dr Drauzio
Varella. He worked in Carandiru prison in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the late
80s/early 90s carrying out Aids prevention work. During his work he came
to know a lot of the inmates closely, and as he was a doctor got to see
prison life in a way the other prison workers didn't. He made friends
with a lot of the inmates, and learned a lot of their personal stories.
The prison is extremely cramped, and the situation came to a climax in
1992. One entire block of the prison fell under prisoner control and a
riot squad was sent in, killing 111 men.
The film is being dubbed by some as "this year's City of God", but it's
very different to last years Brazillian smash. Where 'City of God' had
some very flashy direction and MTV-ized zip-bang editing, 'Carandiru' is
pretty straight forward. The film still has some great direction though,
Hector Babenco has a leisurely style (matched by his actual output, it's
been 7 years since his last film, and nearly 20 since 'Ironweed'),
allowing the story the space it needs to breathe but still picking up
the pace to build tension. Ironically the only section of the film I
didn't really like was the bit that was the most 'City of God'-like.
When the doctor is dealing with his patients he asks each one what their
story is, and sometimes it's a bit forced, just like in 'City of God'
with the "now it's my turn to tell you my story".
Where it's very similar to 'City of God' is it's themes - it's
essentially a humanist comedy with a moral edge, dealing with love,
hate, revenge, innocence and betrayal. The cons are poor and murderous,
but lovable at the same time. If this film and 'City of God' are to
believed drug-dealing thieving murderers all have their hearts in the
right place and are all okay guys who just took a wrong turn on the road.
There's a bit of a stink being kicked up at the moment on the imdb forum
for 'Carandiru'. A lot of Brazillian's are posting, very upset with
filmmakers consistently showing Brazil in a negative light. I think that
although both films do have that slant to them, they have actually
increased interested in the country, and even more so the countries film
output, taking it to a global audience. If all Scottish films are to be
believed we're all a bunch of Glasweigan Gangster Hardnuts or
heroin-addicted thieving murderers too, so I fail to see what the fuss
is about.
The director drives home the real point of the film in the last 20
minutes. The overcrowding and in-fighting finally erupts into a
full-blown riot that results in the main characters block being taken
over by the prisoners. A riot squad enters, and the ensuing rampage is
one of the most graphic and genuinely shocking ever committed to film.
Definitely not for the faint-of-heart. I remember seeing the prison riot
being reported in the UK news, and being appalled at how crowded the
prison was, and how a government could let it reach boiling point like
that. The last 20 minutes really smacked that home, but with the closing
shots of the prison finally being demolished in 2002 you feel like there
was at least some sort of closure on the tragedy.
The story is harrowing, but heart-warming, and the acting (mostly from
unknowns) is top rate. It's my favorite film of the year so far, but do
beware the last 20 minutes, you won't leave the cinema feeling happy.
(for a fully hyper-linked review with images see www.killyourtv.co.uk)
iain
