Carandiru
A story as seen through the very human eyes of a doctor who worked at the Sao Paulo House of Detention. The doctor's encounters with his patients become a window onto the everyday life of the criminal underworld.
His efforts start to pay off and, over time, he earns the respect of the prison community. Visits with ailing prisoners become the context for lively and touching personal stories and respect leads to the sharing of greater and greater confidences.
These narratives, set both inside and outside the prison, culminate in the infamous October 1992 Pavilion 9 massacre, in which 111 unarmed inmates were killed. The tragic event unfolds through the stories of the inmates, who, by film's end, emerge as survivors.
Cannes IFF 2003
Hector Babenco was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1946. At 19, he left for Europe where he was an extra in Italian and Spanish films. In 1969 he came to Brazil. His directorial debut was a documentary The Fabulous Fittipaldi in 1973. His film Lúcio Flávio, Passenger of Agony was the box-office success. His next film - Pixote: the Law of the Weakest (1980) - was to earn him international recognition. The international prestige of Pixote: the Law of the Weakest was followed up by the director's next film - The Kiss of the Spider Woman (1984).
Filmography:
1973 O Fabuloso Fittipaldi
1975 Król nocy / O Rei da Noite / The King Of The Night
1977 Lúcio Flávio, o Passageiro da Agonia / Lucio Flavio, Passenger Of Agony
1981 Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco / Pixote, the Law of the Weakest
1984 A Terra é Redonda Como uma Laranja
1985 Pacałunek kobiety pająka / Beijo da Mulher Aranha / The Kiss Of The Spider Woman
1987 Chwasty / Ironweed
1991 Zabawa w Boga / At Play In The Fields Of The Lord
1996 Promienne serce / Corazón iluminado / Foolish Heart
2003 Carandiru
2007 El Pasado