Carandiru (2003)

Director:

Hector Babenco

Writers:

Hector Babenco (writer)
Fernando Bonassi (writer)

Release Date:

11 April 2003 (Brazil)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot:

Brazilian MD Drauzio Varella starts AIDS prevention in Brazil's largest prison, Carandiru, in São Paulo...

Plot Keywords:

Brazil | Doctor | Bare Butt | Blood | Demolition

Awards:

12 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos	...	Physician
Milton Gonçalves	...	Chico
Ivan de Almeida	...	Ebony
Ailton Graça	...	Majestade
Maria Luisa Mendonça	...	Dalva
Aida Leiner	...	Rosirene
Rodrigo Santoro	...	Lady Di
Gero Camilo	...	No Way
Lázaro Ramos	...	Ezequiel
Caio Blat	...	Deusdete
Wagner Moura	...	Zico
Júlia Ianina	...	Francineide
Sabrina Greve	...	Catarina
Floriano Peixoto	...	Antônio Carlos
Ricardo Blat	...	Claudiomiro

Also Known As:

Carandirú (Argentina)
Carandiru: O Filme (Brazil) (trailer title)
Carandiru (Greece) (festival title) [el]
Carandiru (Spain) [es]
Carandiru (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Fylakes Carandiru (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Fylakes Carandiru, i mera tis sfagis (Greece) (festival title) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence/carnage, language, sexuality and drug use.

Runtime:

145 min | France:148 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

Brazil | Argentina

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Hungary:16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Italy:T | Canada:18A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Carandiru Prision, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Company:

BR Petrobrás

Trivia:

The real Carandiru prison was demolished in 2002, it will be transformed into a park with arts facilities. One block (#2) was left intact to be used as a museum. The film was the last thing they used the prison before demolishing 90% of it.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: One of the inmates is wearing a Brazilian national team football shirt with four stars, representing the four times that Brazil was FIFA world-champion. But the movie ends in the massacre of 1992, two years before they won the fourth title.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2005 Glitter Awards (2005) (V)

Funny, honest, human, wonderful movie.

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.