Carandiru
Dr. Drauzio Varella wrote the original book at the encouragement of a patient he was treating for lymphatic cancer. That very patient happened to be Hector Babenco, who recovered and went on to direct the film adaptation.,During the riot, as the inmates are running up the stairs of the cell block shortly after the riot squad has entered, one inmate can be seen wearing a T-Shirt of hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. The group only formed in the year the riot took place (1992), and did not release their first widely available album (36 Chambers - Enter the Wu-Tang) until the following year. It is unlikely they would at this time have had a following in Brazil, nor would merchandise be available.,Lady Di: I've come to take the test.
Médico - Physician: Please, take a seat. First, I'd like to ask you a few questions, Lady Di.
Lady Di: I've seen this movie before, doctor. I've never needed a blood transfusion and I never pierce my veins. The only drug I use is a joint now and then... when I watch TV or for a little romance.,Featured in 2005 Glitter Awards (2005),Homem Pássaro
Written by Hyldon and Alex Malheiros
Performed by Hyldon,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.,