Carandiru was the biggest prison ever in Brazil, with a capacity of 4000, but most of the time it accommodated more than 7000 prisoners. It was demolished a few years ago. This film shows us the life conditions in Carandiru on the months previous to a riot that ended up with a hundred dead, and tons of wounded prisoners... We see prisoner's subhuman life conditions, we're told about what some of them did to be convicted, their relationships in and outside prison. The main character is the prison doctor, the best witness for all of the prisoners' diseases, their problems with drugs, AIDS, sex, and everything. In many ways he's kind of a confessor.
In some sequences it seems like you're watching a comedy... other times the film turns into a brutal drama. I think the director didn't really focus the story in a definite line. He wanted to cover so many issues, but ended up not properly covering any of them. There're too many characters, too many crossed stories, and because of that the film is way too long (148 minutes!). You'll found some brilliant sequences, and it's brilliantly filmed (reminds me of another recent Brazilian movie: City Of God), but that's not enough. It could've been a great film if Hector Babenco had just focused the story in no more than 2 characters, and talked deeply about them. He only dedicates 10 minutes to recreate the riot and its serious consequences. My verdict is that the director was too ambitious, and that he threw away a good chance to make an excellent movie (he sure knows how to move the camera -no doubt about it-).
As for the actors, I didn't know any of them but they certainly do a good job, all of'em.
My rate: 6/10
In some sequences it seems like you're watching a comedy... other times the film turns into a brutal drama. I think the director didn't really focus the story in a definite line. He wanted to cover so many issues, but ended up not properly covering any of them. There're too many characters, too many crossed stories, and because of that the film is way too long (148 minutes!). You'll found some brilliant sequences, and it's brilliantly filmed (reminds me of another recent Brazilian movie: City Of God), but that's not enough. It could've been a great film if Hector Babenco had just focused the story in no more than 2 characters, and talked deeply about them. He only dedicates 10 minutes to recreate the riot and its serious consequences. My verdict is that the director was too ambitious, and that he threw away a good chance to make an excellent movie (he sure knows how to move the camera -no doubt about it-).
As for the actors, I didn't know any of them but they certainly do a good job, all of'em.
My rate: 6/10