Best Doc of 2007
If Tarantino made documentaries, this is what they'd look like. Beautifully lensed, perfectly edited, and laced throughout with a killer soundtrack of brazillian tunes, this movie grabs you from the first moment and captivates till the last frame. Rather than beating you over the head with it's message, or concocting a bogus narrative to tell a specific story, instead, Manda Bala interweaves numerous characters and their various roles in the drama of Sao Paulo's infamous daily kidnappings. These interwoven tales are so expertly layered that the filmmakers intended conclusions appear innescapable. It's a simply brillant piece of documentary work that everyone should see.
Manda Bala - One of the Most Important Documentaries on Corruption and Kidnapping
Manda Bala tackles some very difficult themes in a way that is factual yet palatable enough to draw an audience into the story. Kidnapping and human trafficking have increasingly been in the public eye in recent years. These traumatic crimes take an incredible toll on victims and society at large. This documentary centers on Brazil's crown city, Sao Paolo. There the wealthy live in proximity to a large poor population, creating an environment where a kidnapping epidemic is flourishing. Ultimately, poverty increases the incentive for the poor to turn to kidnapping as a means to economic survival.
Yet first time director Jason Kohn presents this dark reality with stylistic and slick imagery and music. This dichotomy mirrors the irony of such a grim problem plaguing one of the most beautiful and alluring countries in the world.
Sao Paolo has about 20 million inhabitants, which is more than...
the horrors of poverty, violence and corruption that only get worse
Manda Bala (Send A Bullet) exposes the vast extent of corruption and crime in Brazil. This film is definitely not for the faint of heart; there are some graphic images including reconstructive surgeries. Nevertheless, Manda Bala is strong and it drives its point home very well. Director Jason Kohn has done a marvelous job with this film; and more people should see it. The cinematography is excellent.
In order to expose the full extent of the problem with crime and corruption in Brazil; this documentary has quite a few interviews with people who each explain their views regarding the situation. We meet a criminal mastermind who has his own organization kidnapping people and holding them for millions of dollars in ransom, cutting off their ears to show he's not about to return his victims until the family pays the ransom and the cops stay out of the way. This criminal tries to explain away his bad deeds by telling the interviewing team that he is in fact a modern day Robin...
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