Manda Bala (Send a Bullet)

This film will teach you a lot that you didn't know about Brazilian society and that nation's struggles with deep undercurrents of poverty, corruption, extortion and social confrontation. It fails to fully connect the dots in terms of why and how these problems manifest, but it definitely exposes a good deal of truth in terms of day-to-day realities for some of Brasil's wealthy and poor citizens. It's an aesthetically-driven documentary, with visual meditations on frogs, ears, cityscapes and the expressions of interview subjects and their sometimes equally intriguing interpreters. The soundtrack is an alluring collection of Brazilian pop and traditional arrangements that hums away in the background, as we watch some rather interesting folks talk about how they fit into the skewed morass of Brazilian society, whether perpetrator, victim, agent of the law or medical healer. Be warned: some of the raw kidnapping footage is graphic and disturbing.

WARNING: There are some really gross images in this film! You'll see close-ups of reconstructive surgery and it is NOT for kids or the faint of heart! Don't say you weren't warned.

Having seen several Brazilian movies like CITY OF GOD, CENTRAL STATION and THE MAN OF THE YEAR, I wasn't especially surprised when I watched SEND A BULLET--I knew that São Paulo was practically Hell on Earth due to out of control crime. Even if the crime isn't quite as bad as these films have portrayed it, it is very bad as kidnapping is practically a past-time! How a few reviewers can give this film a score of 1 and say it is full of lies is beyond me--the rise in violent crime and the birthrate are serious issues and Brazil, unfortunately, is becoming famous for this. This is a country with amazing possibilities but serious problems such as these are dooming its future. As a result, many companies are reticent to send employees there or set up shop--further increasing the gap between the haves and the have nots.

What I like about this film is that instead of reveling in violence (especially like THE MAN OF THE YEAR), the film tries to get to the heart of much of the problem. With politicians stealing and only receiving a slap on the wrist (at best) from programs designed to stimulate the economy and benefit the people, it's no wonder that the poor feel entitled to steal as well. After all, they just kidnap a few people--whereas the rich scum politician in this film rapes an entire nation! The lesson on immorality given by big-shot politicians naturally trickles down to the needy poor. Until corruption in high places is dealt with, I would agree with this documentary that personal crime would naturally follow as a sense of right and wrong must flow from the top down to the people.

By the way, don't assume I hate Brazil or am blaming them for having the only corrupt system on the planet. Here in the States, several of our large cities have similar problems. While none of the cities are as large as São Paulo and the crime rate isn't quite as bad, cities such as Washington, Newark and Detroit are highly reminiscent of São Paulo because government leaders (the mayors) are caught stealing and the cities only get more and more unlivable. These jerks claim to love the poor so much and are STILL re-elected or championed by these ill-educated people when they are caught!! Human nature is simply amazing.

Considering how worked up I got writing this review, it's obvious that this is a good film. Despite one review that said the documentary was poorly constructed, I think it was deftly made--taking all these disparate interviews and footage and weaving them into a very compelling argument. An exceptional film and one that thankfully tries to get to the root of some of the problems.

This movie is really excellent! I wish a Brazilian director had the guts to do it!

I read some stupid reviews here, like "what's with the frogs?" or complaining about the use of strong images, that the subjects should be 2 different movies, "there was no a-ha moment"... come on... seriously??

This movie is not about "a-ha moments" like stupid fiction movies. This is not Sunday afternoon entertainment. This is about what people have to deal daily. There are no bad guys or good guys. It's not that clear. There are good guys depending on how much you can afford...

Corruption, criminality and violence are all consequences. They are part of a never-ending cycle that began long ago.

Congratulations for the director, producer and crew.

The film portrays an egocentric point of view. It adds to the typical assumption that American are ethnocentric and can only see the world from their own perspective. The director adopted an egocentric and ethnocentric position. He did not allow the narratives to flow within the main theme. He literally directed narratives to a conclusion he had pre-conceived. Superficial as it is, it does not encompass the complex socioeconomic system in which it takes place.

It is disturbing and without any sense to see interpreters competing with characters their speech. It is a shame to show an egocentric doctor, proud of himself and ignoring the painful and traumatic circumstances their patients were exposed. It is also questionable whether a "successful business man" who had been kidnapped, would agree to expose himself in a documentary such as it intended to be. This raises questions around the credibility of this documentary.

It is very pretentious to say that Manda Bala explains violence and political frauds in Brazil. It is clear that no one involved in this production knows about Latin America and much less international foreign policies and unnecessary to say, skipped sociology classes.

This is one of the finest documentaries I have ever seen.

It takes on a very difficult subject, violence and corruption in Brazil, and portrays its impact on the population through the lives of a dozen or so primary characters. The film interviews the ruthless kidnapper-murderer, exposes and interviews the corrupt politician, shows a kidnapping victim getting his ear cut off; yet it conveys this potentially depressing subject matter with stunning visual effects and an uplifting Brazilian music score that captures the great spirit of Brazil's people.

The film has footage of children playing in the slums of Sao Paolo, but they aren't playing soccer. They are instead recreating the growing crime of kidnapping and cutting off the victims body parts. An actual kidnapper tells the camera he doesn't think much about the kidnappings and murders he commits. He then explains as a proud father that he has nine children and his wife is about to have their tenth. He concludes saying, "maybe one of them will grow up to fix this country".

The film opens by saying it cannot be shown in Brazil. I hope this does not prove to be the case and that it can be shown not only in Brazil but throughout Latin America and around the globe. It should be mandatory viewing for everyone everywhere concerned with the escalating vicious cycle of poverty, neglect, violence, and corruption that plagues mankind.