One of the best documentaries by Eduardo Coutinho. This time, filmmaker shared responsibility with his crew, as his assistants spread themselves throughout the slum and made interviews separately. As a matter of fact, they were able to capture precious testimonies, like in the best Coutinho works. Violence, deaths by murder in family and inner strategies to deal with they are a core issue in the film and in the life of people who live there. Religiousness and mysticism, more varied than one may expect, is also an issue that reappears often. Harsh life and conscious complaints about unfair society co-exist with mostly outgoing mood and warmth. Racism, prejudice against the poor, how to make a living, family structure, masculinity, marriage and loving relationship, and parochialism are also addressed. Music and even cinema are very present in the community too. As a documentary on the passage of 1999 to year 2000 and the change of century and millennium, there is the recurrent question about the expectations of the interviewees: very few people answered that they hoped things would become better, and several people said basically the very same words: "things will remain the same, perhaps will get worse". It is a film about emotional strategies to overcome adversities, in with reality and illusion are sides of the same coin.
