IMDb user comments for
Carandiru (2003) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Index

43 comments in total

---

24 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
Gritty, realistic, funny, violent, superb - not a bad moment, 10 November 2004

Author: Sam from Nottingham, UK

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Firstly to the people who say this movie is boring (yeah it's long but gripping every step of the way) or like City of God (they were both shot in Brazil - similarity ends) I disagree with you.

Carandiru is the name of the Prison in Sao Paulo. Overcrowded by 2500 inmates life is tough not to mention cramped. Told from the point of view of the Prison doctor Carandiru chronicles the life inside with brief incites into the lives of individual prisoners.

Disaster occurs when 111 inmates are shot in a bloodbath following a riot. The killers are the Riot Squad, sent in to quell the disruption.

The story is one sided as it tells it only from the Doctor's version of events (mainly aided by the Prisoners he dealt with). Don't take it as fact, it's a film after all. But do take it as a harsh tale of the way inmates in Carandiru felt their life in their home was destroyed on that day.

I doubt any film can come close to this. It benefits hugely from it's lack of stars. Many characters are portrayed and all contribute to the film equally. I highly recommend Carandiru to any potential viewer. It has it all comedy, realism, touching humanity, action, etc... you name it there is an element of it Carandiru.

Simply marvelous.

---

25 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
The Dramatization of the Greatest Massacre of Prisoners in the World, 27 December 2003

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Carandiru is the true story of the greatest massacre of prisoners in the world. It happened in 1992, in São Paulo, after a rebellion in the greatest Brazilian penitentiary. Doctor Drauzio Varella has written a successful best-seller about this sad event. The great Brazilian naturalized director Hector Babenco (from `Pixote', `Kiss of the Spider Woman', `Lúcio Flávio' etc.), with the support of a fantastic cast, presented a good movie about this wound in our society. The screenplay presents some personal dramas of some prisoners before the invasion of the prison by the Military Police and execution of one hundred and eleven (111) prisoners. The double Brazilian DVD is magnificent:, presenting not only the usual making-of, interviews, deleted scenes and errors, but also the TV News in 1992 after the slaughter. My vote is eight.

---

20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Harrowing, but heart-warming, 19 April 2004
Author: Iain Watson (iainwatson@yahoo.com) from Edinburgh, Scotland

'Carandiru' is a film based on the real experiences of Dr Drauzio Varella. He worked in Carandiru prison in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the late 80s/early 90s carrying out Aids prevention work. During his work he came to know a lot of the inmates closely, and as he was a doctor got to see prison life in a way the other prison workers didn't. He made friends with a lot of the inmates, and learned a lot of their personal stories. The prison is extremely cramped, and the situation came to a climax in 1992. One entire block of the prison fell under prisoner control and a riot squad was sent in, killing 111 men.

The film is being dubbed by some as "this year's City of God", but it's very different to last years Brazillian smash. Where 'City of God' had some very flashy direction and MTV-ized zip-bang editing, 'Carandiru' is pretty straight forward. The film still has some great direction though, Hector Babenco has a leisurely style (matched by his actual output, it's been 7 years since his last film, and nearly 20 since 'Ironweed'), allowing the story the space it needs to breathe but still picking up the pace to build tension. Ironically the only section of the film I didn't really like was the bit that was the most 'City of God'-like. When the doctor is dealing with his patients he asks each one what their story is, and sometimes it's a bit forced, just like in 'City of God' with the "now it's my turn to tell you my story".

Where it's very similar to 'City of God' is it's themes - it's essentially a humanist comedy with a moral edge, dealing with love, hate, revenge, innocence and betrayal. The cons are poor and murderous, but lovable at the same time. If this film and 'City of God' are to believed drug-dealing thieving murderers all have their hearts in the right place and are all okay guys who just took a wrong turn on the road.

There's a bit of a stink being kicked up at the moment on the imdb forum for 'Carandiru'. A lot of Brazillian's are posting, very upset with filmmakers consistently showing Brazil in a negative light. I think that although both films do have that slant to them, they have actually increased interested in the country, and even more so the countries film output, taking it to a global audience. If all Scottish films are to be believed we're all a bunch of Glasweigan Gangster Hardnuts or heroin-addicted thieving murderers too, so I fail to see what the fuss is about.

The director drives home the real point of the film in the last 20 minutes. The overcrowding and in-fighting finally erupts into a full-blown riot that results in the main characters block being taken over by the prisoners. A riot squad enters, and the ensuing rampage is one of the most graphic and genuinely shocking ever committed to film. Definitely not for the faint-of-heart. I remember seeing the prison riot being reported in the UK news, and being appalled at how crowded the prison was, and how a government could let it reach boiling point like that. The last 20 minutes really smacked that home, but with the closing shots of the prison finally being demolished in 2002 you feel like there was at least some sort of closure on the tragedy.

The story is harrowing, but heart-warming, and the acting (mostly from unknowns) is top rate. It's my favorite film of the year so far, but do beware the last 20 minutes, you won't leave the cinema feeling happy.

---

18 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
A Movie Of Individual Stories, 8 October 2005

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

One could easily get the wrong impression of the storyline here. Yes, it is based on the true-life massacre at the Brazilian prison in 1992 BUT that story is only shown in the last 30 minutes of this 145-miniute film.

The movie is really about the people who inhabited that prison back in that time. There are short profiles of numerous criminals, told through the eyes mainly of a doctor who is sent there. AIDs was a major problem in the jail. The doctor treats a lot of people who then tell him stories how they got to be inmates at Carandiru. In addition, there are bunch of scenes in which the inmates interact among themselves, shown as everything from antagonists to lovers.

Make no mistake: some of the stories are sordid, but its not as unpleasant to watch as one might think because the characters and the film-making are very interesting. The storyline moves fast, which is important considering the length of this film.

A viewer could even stop the movie at several points, pick up later without losing much since the story unfolds in segments. The ending (the massacre) really comes on suddenly. Unlike most movies,the story doesn't build up to the climax, here it just appears out of nowhere.

The same director who did the more-famous "City of God" filmed this and many critics here say it's not in the same league, but I thought it was at least in the same ballpark Both are entertaining, and most of us watch films to be entertained. So, if you liked ""City Of God," give this one a look as well.

---

15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Film of the year, no question, 20 January 2005

Author: ExpendableMan from United Kingdom

Let's get things straight here, if you were drawn to this film due its comparisons to the equally magnificent City of God, you're going to be surprised. Aside from the fact that its a Brazilian film about criminals, there are few similarities. While City of God was an epic story of life in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, Carandiru is about much older criminals and the days leading up to the infamous Carandiru prison massacre.

However, this is not the non-stop assault on the senses of grim violence you might expect. In fact, only the last twenty minutes or so of the film deal with the massacre at all and the film instead concentrates on a much more human aspect to the carnage. Focusing on the character of the Doctor as he tries to raise awareness of AIDs in the prison, it revolves around his day to day life as he chats casually with the inmates, learning of their hopes, fears and more often than not, their reason for being in the prison in the first place. These are stories that range from sad, to touching to outright hilarity and you soon find yourself absorbed in this world of offbeat criminals, so much so that when the violence does erupt, it is all the more shocking for it.

There are differences to the normal, US prison drama as well. I'm not sure how the Brazilians run their penitentiaries, but here there are no uniforms and they are allowed many of the comforts of home, along with free reign of the prison yard. But these are still drab conditions, with multiple inmates crammed into a single room, sweltering in the intense heat of the tropical summer. And ultimately, the prison is a community, made of genuine individuals, rather than clear cut prison stereotypes. This is a masterful film, one of my top movies of all time.

---

12 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Absolutely great!, 13 April 2003

Author: Emerenciano from Campina Grande, Brazil

As a Brazilian, I saw on TV many of the things that happened inside Carandiru, the biggest jail in Brazil and maybe the biggest in Latin America. I can clearly remember the news where we saw the police invasion and the slaughter they made there instead of stopping the prisoners rebellion

I knew this fact would be shown in Hector Babenco's film, but I could never imagine it would be so strongly illustrated. It's pure violence and the audience gets really astonished. Although it's really sad and we can't avoid being sorry for those deaths and suffering, it's impossible not to like the movie. It's excellent.

It's important to say that the invasion is not the only fact that is showed. Actually the book is based in Drauzio Varela's book. Mr. Varela is a doctor who worked in the jail helping the prisoners. The book, that is called "Estação Carandiru" (Carandiru station - because of the underground station that is nearby) is a success in Brazil.

27-year-old Rodrigo Santoro is one of the best actors we have in Brazil nowadays. His talent on Brazilian TV Series have guaranteed him good roles in films made in the country and recently he has started an international career, once he'll be in "Charlie's Angels 2". Some other good actors like Milton Gonçalves and Caio Blat add more positive points to the production. Some others, unknown up to now, showed they'll probably have much success in the future due to their talent, like Lázaro Ramos.

Argentinean Hector Babenco directed `Carandiru' with a great sense of art, talent and made his film probably the best one of Brazilian cinema this year.

My rate 10/10

---

13 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Babenco caught the hard sadness of prison life in 'Carandiru.', 9 July 2004
Author: John DeSando (jdesando@columbus.rr.com) from Columbus, Ohio

'Carandiru' is a mess, not just the blood flowing over the steps of the infamous São Paulo prison that was razed after a prisoner riot and slaughter in 1992. In 145 minutes, Hector Babenco ('Pixote,' 'Kiss of the Spider Woman') has too many episodes about different inmates that only tangentially and sometimes superficially relate to the central subject of AIDS prevention; frequently they are standard flashbacks to what the prisoners did to merit incarceration. A secondary and successful purpose is to reveal a highly structured prisoner society where justice is swift and not always wrong, where the only mistake is to give in to the civilian authority, at which point any freedoms are lost. Despite the crowded and unsanitary conditions, inmates are usually safer and healthier inside rather than out. The story is told mainly from a prison doctor's point of view as he interviews the inmates for AIDS screening and hears about their lives. Although he is way too happy in his work, he represents a humanistic attitude lacking in the prison officials and the world outside. Homosexuality, while appropriate for any prison tale, seems to dominate the entire long movie (145 minutes) and throw into relief the director/ writer's interest in the subject that began at least in 'Kiss.' One of the most affecting scenes is the marriage of a devoted, physically mismatched couple and the subsequent attempt by the smaller 'husband' to protect his bride. Babenco and the actors manage to relay dignity and gravity in a situation that could be laughable if not at least clichéd. Babenco was inspired to write this screenplay by a doctor who saved his life, a doctor who wrote about his experiences in this prison in 'Carandiru Station.' Although HBO's 'Oz' prison series was more insightful, no account could be as loving and socially concerned. Famous prisoner Oscar Wilde wrote in 'De Profundis,' 'A day in prison on which one does not weep is a day on which one's heart is hard, not a day on which one's heart is happy.' Babenco caught the hard sadness of prison life in 'Carandiru.'

---

8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Gruesome with a Touch of Heart!, 26 January 2004

Author: crystallburns

The movie turned out to be really good. I went to the special screening last Wednesday at the Magnolia. The movie was... different, not at all what I expected. There was hardly any background music; the mood was set directly from the scenes and the characters. It's going to be released late spring, so I do not want to give too much of it away. :) It was a horrific story, a true story. At times I wanted (and did) scream out. Other times the theater was filled with a nervous laughter, followed by gasps. The movie made you feel sentimental towards the characters, showing glimpses of whom they were, inside and out the Center, but at the same time making you despise them for the terrible crimes that they had committed and showed no remorse for.

Afterwards the director was there. He had flown in all the way from Brazil. When asked what his intended message of the movie was, he said "Message!? If I wanted to send I message I would go to the Post Office!" Also he stated that the destruction of the detention center, Carandiru, was an important step in their government. The place wasn't even a prison. I was a holding place for criminals before they even had a sentence. The place was only destroyed about a year ago. He just wanted to share it with others; I implied that it was for everyone to learn from instead of actually having to live it themselves. All in all it was a much enjoyable evening. 9/10

---

6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
great hymn of life and humanity, 2 February 2006

Author: Boris Todorov (btodorov@ucla.edu) from Seoul, South Korea

Carandiru is a true hymn of humanity in all of us. What let the Brazilian riot squad shoot down over a hundred inmates was that following both prejudice and the professional drilling they had been subjected to, they regarded the rioters of 1992 as nothing but worthless scum. Bebenco does not defend his characters. Based on the eyewitness account of the prison physician, he presents us with assassins, murderers, robbers and drug-dealers who do not even claim they do not deserve their sentences (although many were kept in prison without convictions). What made them human was their continuous contact with the world outside. The visitation day scene is a memorable tribute to life in a truly Christian sense - everyone deserves to live and to hope not because of his own qualities or deeds, but because of the love others share for him. The character of the serial killer Dagger was essential to this purpose. His solitude in the midst of the modest pleasures of everybody else visited by his close ones was the first sign of the overcoming guilt which eventually took him to the preacher. Let this review not be understood as if the movie pursues to proselytize the viewers; I hope not to be too cynical to say that its prime purpose is to rejoice - to rejoice with the great diversity of human characters to whom Dr Varella and H. Bebenco paid their tribute.

---

7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Funny, honest, human, wonderful movie., 31 December 2004

Author: Bohemia from United States

Brazil is a country of contrasts, and this movie show that perfectly. The same person that can kill somebody without thinking it twice can be nice and gentle at very the next moment. Been in Brazil has this feeling, you may expect violence and danger, but you may get 99% of the time generosity and happiness. An, well, when you put 8000 man in the space of 4000, and they manage to create a micro-universe with there own rules, that works better than the world outside, it just can be in Brazil. Plenty of humor, humanity and honestly, this movie is superior to City Of God, just because it has a positive, optimist message regarding that'111 or so prisoners died in the 1990s' as Alexdffy point out above, showing a lot of respect for human life. Wightly recommended for open minds, that can see the person beyond the criminal...and not criminal to.

---

---

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	Awards
Newsgroup reviews	External reviews	Parents Guide
Official site	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history