User Reviews

This movie is about one of the worst periods for the brazilian people. Shows the days of military dictatorship when the brazilian people against the government were put in jails, tortured, and some of them assassinated by the military and para-military people. At the same time, the same government censured the press and didn't allow anything but news about three times-champion soccer team. While the people made parties, etc for the soccer team, in the underground, people suffered all kinds of torture. It's very denseful, strong and realistic movie for those who know about this period of our history.

This movie talks about the reality of dictatorship in Brazil. If anyone has the opportunity to watch "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam and this movie, there are some features that are pretty similar in both of them. The torture, the dictatorship are similar. The final scene when one of the characters is tortured in a chair resembles a lot the final scene of torture and death of the character in "Brazil" of Terry Gilliam. Perhaps he had some influence while making his movie and could this be the motive why his surreal movie is called "Brazil"... We will never know.

The scenes of torture, where a naked man hangs from a "pau de arara" instrument of torture is like reality. It is a great movie for us not to forget that any kind of dictatorship is terrible. Military governments will never solve violence problems anywhere. They will only increase it. Violence will never be solved with violence.

Excellent film on Brazilian military dictatorship (very well) made while authoritarian regime was still active. That explains some sitiations in which the movie could be expected to be nore critical (like in the text in the beginning, which talks about "two extrene sides" instead of about state tettorism and prople who resisted), but also highlights the impressive vourage of all the crew (they showed torture, the businessmen' involvement, and even that the lack of reaction of the average man was mediocre and no reason to be proud of). All actors did a great job, well directed by Roberto Farias, in a movie carefully built from the cinematography to the dialogs and soundtrack. It is one of the most important movies of the direst period of Brazilian history.