Beautifully chasing the chicken

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2003)

Alright, since there is nothing else to do, I thought and went off to the cinema. The title only thought to promise me an indy film about meagre slum life. By the scant knowledge I had about it, I actually expected some kind of boring social drama. Boy, was I surprised!

So, let's talk about violence; of which there is a great deal in this film. Unlike so many Hollywood films, where violence seem to take a recreational dimension, this film really gets to you. It makes you think twice about it, since it doesn't present dead bodies, but dead persons. A big difference in my book.
Then there is storyline; of which every thread is followed. Forget about main character. Yeah, there is one  but he's more a link to the entire story, than a real protagonist. OK then, you can slice them out of the story, sure! But when the film finishes you know the life story of about seven characters. No mean feat, considering the time frame.
Camera placement and movement with lighting and editing; everything molded into near perfection. I got aware of it sometimes, because there are some special moves done, and some intricate solutions to it. In some films it's not that good to get aware of such things, but in this film, I thought it was just fine.
Now, I'm not used to Portuguese, but the only thing I really dare to kick at is acting. Well, voice acting. The acting is fine, but sometimes the voiceover seemed a little dull  but hey! It's a voiceover!
This film really chases the chicken to the end. It goes where it has to go, perilous as it is, but it's so beautifully done that I've even watched the film without subtitles  and I don't know a word in Portuguese! I did this after seeing it with subtitles first, of course. And maybe it's actually subtitles that will put off most English viewers, since I don't know if it has been dubbed to any other language. Being Norwegian I, not unlike the Dutch, innately resent dubbing, but I've heard this is the other way in the USA, Germany and Spain.