Set in one of Rio De Janeiro’s 600 ghettos, Vigario Geral, Favela Rising charts the story of Anderson Sa, Jose Junior and AfroReggae on a journey from outlaws to social revolutionaries. In their debut feature, directors Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary allow us to see inside the notorious ghettos of one of the world’s most fascinating cities.
In 1993, the killing of four police officers by a single druglord sparks the massacre or 21 residents of Vigario Geral by Rio’s military police. The event triggers a profound change in Sa, whose brother was one of those murdered. He chooses to abandon his outlaw status in favour of one in which his energy is focussed on improving life and prospects within his community.
Favela Rising serves as a reminder that many young people with no hope will attempt to fill the void with anything that remotely resembles a better life, if only in the short term. However, for me the central message in this film was one in which a single individual committed, can make a difference. Your heart will ache when you witness the deprivation, the death and the violence that permeates the lives of the people who inhabit the slums, but you will feel lifted when you recognise that hope of a better life, through art, culture and creativity prevails. Highly recommended viewing.
Favela Rising, 2005
- Type: Documentary
- Director(s): Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary
- Credits: Anderson Sa, Jose Junior
- Runtime: 80 min
- Language: Portuguese/English Subtitles
- Certification: 12A
External Links
These links will open in a new window.
- Grupo Cultural AfroReggae
- Favela Rising official site
- Brazil: Candelária and Vigário Geral 10 years on
I wrote this review on 23rd December 2006, and it appeared first on Bambooo.co.uk, but it got me a job as a volunteer reviewer for a Theatre Review website, so I’ve decided to put it here as well