User Reviews

A strong film about life and relations in slum peripheries in Brazil (here, specifically in the town of Curitiba): friendship, habits, families, machoism, pregancy... there are many issues, carefully developped through the stories of many characters, but one issue is highlighted: the blured border between honest life and crime. The boys sometimes work for a drug dealer, sometimes are trying to be out of misfits. However, criminals are far from being found only among the poor youth. The owner of a mobile phone store uses to sell stolen products, for instance. However, the greatest impact refering to illegal acts happens when it comes to daily harassment of military policemen against poor people. The laws that exist significantly in middle class neighborhoods are seriously disrespected by state officials who were supposed to protect those people. Indeed, this is very well portrayed in the film, incrisingly, while it becomes less antropological and more thrilling.