The
views from Rio’s favelas are worth millions of Reais, but no developer would
think of venturing inside. Periodically, the BOPE (the cops from Elite Squad)
launch incursions, but they never stay long. Instead, the local gang leader
functions as the law. In Tati’s favela, her semi-estranged father Jaca was
known for arbitrating neighborhood disputes fairly. His young, punky successor—not
so much. That is why everyone is looking forward to him reclaiming the leadership
role he no longer wants in Gringo filmmaker Paxton Winters’ Portuguese language
film, Pacified, produced by Darren Aronofsky, which would have screened
at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, had it not been canceled due to the CCP’s
deceit and disregard for human life, along with the WHO’s complicity.
Tati
is even moodier and more alienated than most teenagers, but her mother keeps
telling her things will get better with the impending release of her “father,”
real name Jose Ferreira. The Olympics Games are over and everyone is getting
back to normal. However, the big bosses are content with the ruthless Nelson
running the favela and Jaca is also perfectly okay with it. Nevertheless, residents
keep coming to him with their problems.
Frankly,
Jaca has plenty of his own troubles. His brother Dudu has badly mismanaged one
of Nelson’s bocas, while also struggling with drug abuse and depression. Tati’s
mother Andrea is probably even more addicted. However, he is starting to
appreciate Tati’s intelligence and resilience, despite the rumors regarding her
true parentage.
Even
though Winters is a Yank, Pacified definitely follows in the tradition
of realistic favela dramas, best exemplified for international audiences with City
of God and City of Men. Yet, it also shares a kinship with many
1940s and 1950s Hollywood gangster movies, in which stars like George Raft always
learned going home is a tricky proposition for reformed racketeers.
Bukassa
Kabengele has the right sort of speak-softly-while-shooting-laser-beams-from-his-eyes
intensity as Jaca. Even though Winters frames the film as Tati’s story,
Kabengele just completely commandeers the film, like his character hijacking trucks
in Rio’s tunnels. Cassia Gil is fine as Tati, but the character’s constant sullenness
gets a bit tiresome. On the other hand, both Debora Nascimento (she was in the
Edward Norton Hulk movie) and Raphael Logan are spectacular train-wreck
messes, as Andrea and Dudu, respectively. Plus, Jefferson Brasil adds all kinds
of intriguing ambiguity as Jaca’s former lieutenant, Juninho.
