Orfeu uses the same play as its source material but the filmmaker's goal seems to be the addition of an indigenous touch and an updating of the material to include more overt reflection of life in the slums and shantytowns of Rio. Anyone familiar with Black Orpheus will know the score here. Orfeu follows a very similar narrative path, however, this Orpheus is a musician who uses computers, electric instruments, rap influences, and cell phones. Instead of the story's antagonist being played by Eurydice's spurned lover, Orfeu derives its tension from a subplot concerning the neighborhood drug lord, his gang, and the police actions they incur. Despite Diegues' attempt to provide this story with a hard edge, he defeats his own purpose with his florid compositions and soft-focus backgrounds.
Images project the same kind of golden glow that infuses the background of the film's key art.
The story retains its inherently romantic tone, emphasized by visual devices like the 360 camera swirls that are set off by the couple's first kiss. One advantage to this new update is the sexual freedom the times afford. The character of Orfeo is more overtly sexual and promiscuous. Also, the music is an interesting blend of sambas, rock, and rap, and compares favorably with the memorable music by Luis Bonfa and Antonio Carlos Jobim in Black Orpheus. Diegues' camerawork during the Carnaval parades is visually delectable and appealing.