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Luciano Vidigal Movies

2007  
R  
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Two lifelong friends raised amidst the turmoil of Rio de Janeiro's notorious Pool Hall Hill attempt to navigate the treacherous maze of adulthood after celebrating their 18th birthdays and becoming caught up in the city's endless cycle of violence in director Paulo Morelli's companion piece to the Golden Globe-winning drama City of God. Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) and Acerola (Douglas Silva) may not be bound by blood, but these childhood friends are closer to one another than most brothers. While their friendship has gone a long way in helping them both to cope with the strife that surrounds them, the hard truth is that they will both have to fend for themselves now that they've entered into adulthood. For Laranjinha, entering this stage in life means finding his long-lost father; for Acerola it means finally taking responsibility for his growing family. Now, as Laranjinha's cousin, quick-tempered local drug lord Madrugadão (Jonathan Haagensen), finds his power threatened by his former right-hand man Nefasto (Eduardo BR Piranha), it quickly becomes apparent that a formidable war is brewing in the poverty-stricken shantytown. The brother of Laranjinha's girlfriend, Camila (Naima Silva), looks to be a key component in this battle, threatening to draw a neutral man into a deadly confrontation. Meanwhile, Acerola's wife, Cris (Camila Monteiro), is threatening to move to São Paolo so that her family won't be consumed by the violence that has torn apart so many families before. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Douglas SilvaDarlan Cunha, (more)
 
2006  
 
First-time writer-director Jorge Duran - a native Chilean who resides and works in Brazil - helmed Proibido proibir (AKA Forbidden to Forbid), a muckraking drama that aggressively unearths and explores the social issue of street violence at the hands of Brazilian authorities. The film opens by exploring the volatile love triangle that develops between three students at the Federal University: undergraduate sociology major Leon; his architecture student paramour, Leticia; and medical student Paulo, Leon's best friend and bunkmate, with whom Leticia is deeply smitten. Paulo is enrolled in an internship at the University Hospital, where he and Leon and Leticia all become acquainted with Rosalina, a terminally ill woman estranged from her two boys. She asks her new friends to look into her sons' whereabouts, and in searching for the boys, they run headfirst into merciless on-street violence at the hands of Brazilian cops. It is a subject Leon knows all too well, as policeman gunned down his street vendor brother not long ago. Fate intervenes when he and Leticia find Rosalina's sons, and attempt to save the youngest, but Leon - like his brother - falls into the path of a policeman's bullet. The bullet only injures him, however, and Leticia takes Leon home, so that Paulo can perform an emergency operation and remove the bullet. In the process, the love between Leon and Leticia deepens, while the bonds friendship grow tighter among the three. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Starring:
Caio BlatMaria Flor, (more)