In the late 1980's, vastly overcrowded with over 7,000 men crammed into a 70 year-old complex, Carandiru was facing an AIDS epidemic. That is where the doctor comes in. He sets up a clinic and begins treating the prisoners. That in itself is an amazing story (one doctor to take care of over 7,000 men, many of which barely seem one step above being a wide animal), but the emotional cap to CARANDIRU is after spending well over a hour learning about these men...a riot breaks out and the police use it as an excuse to wholesale massacre over 100 men in cold-blood.
CARANDIRU is a well-made film, but despite the impressive photography and strong acting...I just couldn't get into the story. Yeah, I understand these guys are currently paying for their crimes by being in prison, but most of them seemed completely unrepentant and more than will to continue being of less than zero value to society. None of these guys would you want to know in real life! But, maybe, that's not the point of the film. As far as entertainment goes, I was entertained from beginning to end.
Mild violence, less male nudity than a single episode of "Oz", memorable characters, steady pace and a few cast members that would later on become well-known to American audiences: Wagner Moura from Netflix's "Narcos" and Rodrigo Santoro from HBO's "Westworld".
Worth checking out, but nothing worth getting excited about.
