"Men Want Peace" is a curious and highly entertaining Brazilian western made for TV in the early 1990's that while mostly immersed
in a charateristical format (yet not a cliche) it finds its ways to intrigue and excite audiences with some peculiar elements. It's not
coming from any particular novel yet it feels as if perfectly coming from a printed material.
In the early 1940's, in the final years of the Canganço movement, a small village and its habitants all live in quiet and peace until
a known bad figure from that bandit group returns to it: the frightening Emerenciano (Paulo Betti, phenomenal), who was publicly humiliated
by the regular towners while committing his crimes and for such he was sentenced to 10 years in jail. When all the locals, the mayor, the
chief of police, the medical doctor notice his presence, they know he's there with all the worst intentions possible: revenge. They all
arm themselves, but some of the men and women still deal with fear which divides them in between acting against the man (later on it's
revealed that his group is surrouding the town) or just running away.
That's when it comes a solution proposed by the doctor (Herson Capri) in sending a beautiful young woman (Letícia Sabatella) to
find ways of convincing Emerenciano to just leave town and she'll go with him. That's the key act of the film since things don't go
in the typical toxic masculinity cliche of obvious things, and there's a huge great surprise between the man and the woman in how she
can convince the bandit from not attacking the people. Better not say it, you need to see it for yourself. All I can say was that it felt
really beautiful, poetic.
It's only an hour long and could be a little prolongued but that's besides the point. The acting from everybody are truly great, Sebastião
Vasconcelos as the mayor is a pleasure, and Capri playing a regional character, completely against type, was a wonder. But the show belongs to
Betti as the feared bad guy. And the story was so well composed that it truly feels like great literature from the likes of Graciliano Ramos
and Guimarães Rosa. Luiz Fernando Carvalho made a really nice film, with plenty of thrills and emotion. And despite all the conflicts one
face in life, all the pain and hatred, we all know that deep down all we want is peace and for that sometimes we must fight. 8/10.
