A wonderful example of poverty in Brazil and the struggles the citizens face with gangs.

Rating: 9/10 (14 October 2016)

This film is not for the faint of heart; it is a very saddening film that puts aspects of the third world in Brazil into a very clear perspective. For an English speaker, like myself, I had to experience the movie through subtitles, but it did not take away from the impact of the film. I would recommend this film to anyone, it is an incredible experience. The film is based on a young boy in the world of Brazil's capital, Rio de Janeiro, and the struggles that himself, his family, and his friends face throughout their lives. The protagonist Buscape, or "Rocket" in the English subtitles, is a young aspiring photographer attempting to make his way out of the slums that his whole life is based around. Within these slums, the gangs in the area are active, and very violent. Rocket gets a hold of a second-hand camera and begins to take charge of his dream to be a photographer. As the gangs in the area become unsettled, and power begins to shift, a violent turf war begins. Rocket, seizing the opportunity, takes pictures of the action as it unfolds around him. He begins to submit his photos to the local newspaper, and winds up getting a job. It is an amazing film experience and really opens the viewers eyes to the challenges of the third world, and how prevalent poverty is, and how it is ignored regularly.