Carandiru

Rating:
Summary: If you likes marginal films, see this right away
Review: The Casa de Detenção de São Paulo (Carandiru) was a notorious prison made more so by the 1992 massacre of 111 prisoners. The film Carandiru is directed by Hector Babenco (Pixote, Ironweed, Behind the Sun) in a documentary-style telling of the lives of at some prisoners and employees at the jail leading up to the horrifying event. The documentary style gives the director the ability to get into the minds of the prisoners through fictional interviews with prisoners through the eyes of a doctor working at the jail (the author of the book the film takes its cue from). The problem though, is that the shorts which make up the stories of various prisoners are interesting enough in themselves and at times hilarious, but don't form a cohesive tale as a whole. The bursts of continuous narration are compelling but end up frustrating because they inevitably end up with another sub-plot or side story.

The massacre at Carandiru is a worthwhile story in and of itself. It comes across here as brutal and arbitrary as one would expect. The deaths were condemned by every human rights organization and eventually led to the conviction of Colonel Ubiratan Guimaraes, the head of the operation. The massacre makes up the most effective aspect of the narration and comes across as physically unsettling. The inhumanity of Carandiru makes for an uncommon experience partially captured by Babenco but the unnecessary subplots of this film ruin a great deal of the more rewarding aspects of the film. There is a good film to be made from the story of Carandiru, but at two hours + of largely superfluous running time, this isn't it.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Entertaining
Review: This movie has outstanding visual style and tells a story with humor and color. Most films I see about jail are dark and gritty. This was fun at some parts and helped the viewer develop a connection with its inmates, because of their humaness, not from emotional manipulation. It is a true story about the eventual and horrific demise of 111 prisoners, but the story really doesn't get in to the whole demise thing that much. The ending devotes about 30 minutes of footage to this aspect of the jail. It was more about the inmates and their personalities. How the doctor saw them and how they relayed their stories to the doctor with such quirkiness. At first I thought this is going to be a boring movie, but it just kept getting better and better. If you are going to see a historical account of the jail's demise you will only see that part at the end. This is a human story with colorful characters and distinct and original storytelling on how those characters came to be in jail and how they were coping with there imprisonment while they were incarcerated. Funny but Dramatic, some gritty scenes of violence/ and odd but enticing creativity. Very Reccommended!

Lisa Nary

Rating:
Summary: "Truth has no place in jail."
Review: Upon the initial arrival of Dr. Drauzio Varella to his new job as physician at the overcrowded and dilapidated Carandiru penitentiary in Sao Paulo, Brazil he is shocked and disturbed at his new surroundings; but it doesn't take him long to befriend the inmates and take an active interest in the inmates circumstances and personal histories. Through his practice of advocating AIDS prevention and education he forms friendships with a variety of prisoners who fulfill various social roles within the prison hierarchy. The conditions of the prison are alarming; there is little order or established routines and prisoners are left to their own devices.

Based on a true story, CARANDIRU attempts to portray the events leading up to a brutal massacre of 111 prisoners in 1992 when riot police smothered a rebellion within the prison grounds. This film is officially described as a drama but at times it masquerades as a comedy, which attributes to its eventual downfall. Included are many unnecessary scenes that distract from the tension and seriousness of this film, such as the gender bending wedding and the cat-fighting lovers. Also distracting is the often transparent and scripted scenes of the doctor asking the prisoners how they ended up in prison. Although there were some humorous scenes I couldn't help feeling that they just didn't belong.

All in all, CARANDIRU was a disappointment. It could have been a much better film with careful editing and more focus.