With Hollywood's usual sugar-coated approach to everything, including prison life, it's nice to see how independent filmmakers in some of the most impoverished societies of the world handle the subject. This is not the first time Brazil has been the subject of international attention. From their numerous wins at the world cup to being the place a once-good hardcore band called Sepultura started, it is probably the most well-known country in South America.<br /><br />Those who are familiar with Sepultura's music will know the name Carandiru already. Although I forget the name of the song, the prison was covered in a song detailing the brutal murders of prisoners. Some things implied in the song are flatly contradicted here, but I will deal with that later. Where Carandiru, the film, succeeds while Sepultura's song failed, is that the film gives the prisoners a very rational, human face. They're not portrayed as angels, but neither are they portrayed as devil incarnates. They are given enough humanity to matter, and that is literally everything in this type of film.<br /><br />It is also interesting to get a listen to some of the other musicians of Brazil in some of the soundtrack. I forget the name of the band (Ratos Du Parao or something like that), but their song Crucificados Pelo Sistema can be heard very prominently during one memorable scene. As you get to learn more about the criminals, both major and minor, the title seems exceptionally appropriate. In fact, a wide variety of music that is appropriate to the setting is presented here, as opposed to the one-note selections presented in many American films set in prison.<br /><br />There has been criticism levelled at the film, along the lines of being too long and distended. That is true to some extent. Such scenes as the pop singer's visit to the prison should definitely have been left on the cutting room floor. The statements of the prisoners about the massacre were also unnecessary, as they build a sometimes false impression of who lived or died, and prematurely at that. It has also been said that the film lacks focus, with many prisoners getting a little detail, while others get none at all. Personally, I prefer it this way. Following a singular hero around is getting tired, especially when there is such a wide, diverse mix here.<br /><br />It has also been said that the film builds a false, overly negative portrait of life in Brazil. I can see shades for and against that. As I mentioned before, Sepultura are a famous example of the music scene in Brazil, mixing elements of Napalm-Death style with Biafra-like punk. It is only in a nation so disrespectful of human rights and truth that a band that screams about injustice or abuses would have to leave. But at the same time, Brazil has a culture all its own, which most certainly should not be replaced by Americanism.<br /><br />The aforementioned-song has it that the inmates in Carandiru were annihilated in what was described as a "holocaust method". The film has it that in a prison housing some 7500 inmates (it was intended to house 4000, apparently), 110 or so were killed. Either way, the prison was eventually closed and torn down. And Americans think their prisons are brutal!<br /><br />In all, I gave Carandiru a seven out of ten. It is far from perfect, but as a change from the staid formula of Hollywood, it is just what the doctor ordered. Give it a squiz, if only for the cultural expansion.