Ana Moreira Movies

Portuguese filmmaker Teresa Villaverde turns her attentions to the topic of human trafficking in modern-day Europe with this tale of an optimistic Russian émigré who is forced into prostitution after leaving St. Petersburg to seek out a better life in Germany. Sonia (Ana Moreira) is a dreamer in her early twenties who is looking to escape the bleak poverty of St. Petersburg in hopes of improving her unfortunate lot in life. Upon finding illegal work at a German car factory, it appears as if Sonia's luck may be taking a turn for the better. When the factory is supposedly raided by police looking for illegal workers and a fellow Russian implores the Sonia to hide in the trunk of a car, the panicked girl's once bright future begins to grow considerably dimmer. Subsequently smuggled across Europe, Sonia is used as a sex slave in Germany before being transported to Italy to serve as a human plaything for the simple minded son of a powerful millionaire. Now trapped in an opulent mansion prison with no one to turn to and no place to run, Sonia soon becomes obsessed with the prospect of escaping her outwardly lavish hell on Earth. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A bleak drama about street children abandoned by the Portuguese juvenile system, Os Mutantes/The Mutants was immediately controversial in Portugal, where it inspired nationwide debate over reform of the nation's youth authorities. Os Mutantes examines the lives of Pedro, Ricardo and Andreia, three kids in their early teens who have rejected life in juvenile homes or with foster families to take their chances on their own. They drift into petty crime and are exploited by sexual predators; the two boys end up working in a pornographic film, while Andreia becomes pregnant. When Andreia turns to her mother for help, the mother turns her away, telling her she can barely support herself, let alone a new baby. Os Mutantes was filmed with a largely non-professional cast; director Teresa Villaverde had originally planned to make a documentary about homeless children, but when government authorities refused to cooperate, she used her research as the basis for this screenplay, giving many of the children she met in her travels roles in the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi