Description (continued...) gained international infamy when military police troops, called to quell a riot, killed 111 inmates. The Carandiru population contained murderers, drug dealers, and all manner of petty criminals--all guilty--but also driven to crime by Brazilian poverty. Dr. Varella, a renowned oncologist, arrived at Carandiru to help with AIDS prevention, but stayed and began to treat the inmates for everything from rat bites to rape, and in the process shared their life stories. Director Babenco articulates the horror suffered by these men by recounting the darkly humorous stories of their families and personal lives, and then uses that empathy to show the terror of the police attack. After detailing the state-sponsored massacre, the film ends with the patriotic song "Aquarela do Brasil," providing one last emotional jab. Like his exploration of poverty and crime in previous films such as PIXOTE, Babenco creates a frenzied and emotionally weighted story, filmed on location in Carandiru Prison just before it closed. The film signifies the global need to improve social conditions and places a human face on the anonymous prison system. Country of Origin: Brazil Reviews "This, then, is CARANDIRU's great achievement: to combine the visual power of current Latin American cinema with a strong political denunciation which goes back to the now distant radical film-making of cinema novo." Premiere | 04/01/2004 | p.44-5 "Director Hector Babenco expresses a powerful kinship with those who have turned against society because they believe that society has turned against them." Entertainment Weekly | 05/21/2004 | p.60 "Beneath its documentary-like sprawl, CARANDIRU is a hands-on movie passionately engaged in its characters' personal dramas." New York Times | 05/14/2004 | p.E12 "It plunges us deep inside a corrupt system and its sincere empathy creates a stirring mix of emotions." Los Angeles Times | 05/14/2004 | p.E12 "[Y]ou can't help but be touched by the plight of some of the inmates....A harrowing, intense movie." Uncut | 08/01/2004 | p.138 Full Cast and Crew Director: Hector Babenco Starring: Luis Carlos Vasconcelos, Milhem Cortaz, Ivan de Almeida, Ailton Graca, Maria Luisa Mendonca, Aida Leiner, Gero Camilo, Rodrigo Santoro Screenwriter: Victor Navas, Hector Babenco, Fernando Bonassi Source Writer: Drauzio Varella Producer: Hector Babenco Director of Photography: Walter Carvalho Composer: Andre Abujamra Release Information Color: Color Runtime: 148 min. © Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Production Notes This film screened in the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.
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