DVD REVIEW

Manda Bala

WEA || Not Rated || Apr 8, 2008

Synopsis

Brazil is known for its beautiful beaches, lush rain forests, and vibrant culture.  However, in recent years, the country has developed more of a reputation for corrupt politicians, kidnapping, and plastic surgery.  Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) artfully connects these seemingly disparate elements and conducts a dazzling, yet harrowing, examination of the tragic domino effect that has reshaped the face of the country and created an entire industry built on corruption.


Critique

Manda Bala is one of my favorite films to come along in a while.  It is a well shot, cinematic documentary with panache.  The film belongs right up there with F for Fake in the characters it brings to light and the way it connects their stories.  We get kidnap victims, kidnappers, politicians, scared businessmen, a plastic surgeon, the proprietor of the world’s largest frog farm, policemen, and others in a cast of characters that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Crime and corruption are at the heart of Manda Bala, a “culture of impunity,” as the assistant attorney general calls it.  At the top, we have Jader Barbalho, a popular, ruthlessly corrupt politician implicated in what came to be known as the S.U.D.A.M scandal.  Basically, Barbalho embezzled funds meant for the Amazonian areas of northern Brazil.  Barbalho, as we come to find out, has had people killed, owns the only TV station in his district, and buys his votes outright, all in full view, more or less, of the entire country.

Barbalho is corruption at its zenith, the kind of criminal most of us can only dream of being.  A few rungs beneath him we have most of what goes on in Sao Paulo, where we lay our scene.  We have Mr. M, as he calls himself, who describes himself as a “businessman/entrepreneur.”  Mr. M drives a Porsche, which, with the cost of bulletproofing the car, on top of all the other costs that make a Porsche more expensive in Brazil that it would be in, say, the U.S., runs nearly half a million dollars.  Mr. M has been robbed several times and says it is unimaginable not to have a bulletproof car; every stop light is a risk.  Nevertheless, Mr. M must have his Porsche.  Interestingly, he never mentions anything about having a car that is less conspicuous, assuming such a thing exists.

Kidnapping became so rampant in Sao Paulo that bulletproofing became a cottage industry, as did private helicopters.  If a bulletproof car won’t do the trick, the only other alternative is to travel, as Mr. M says, “above the crime.”  Mr. M is an interesting character, a man for whom paranoia has become a way of life.  He takes a defensive driving course to learn how to evade potential kidnappers, and the experience shows him just how easy it is for a determined criminal to land enough shots to render bulletproof glass ineffective.  Mr. M comes away from the course feeling less safe than he did before.

On the other side of this, we get a look at the policemen who work an anti-kidnapping task force.  Admittedly, their jobs are entirely reactive.  They share some harrowing stories, but they do so with such blasé attitudes.  In one blackly hilarious scene, one of these policemen shows off his personal arsenal of weapons.  He shows off one pistol after another, his collection almost comically extensive.  At one point he reveals a large, impressive machine gun.  “Where do you get a weapon like that,” someone off-screen asks.  The cop shrugs: “Smugglers, like you would buy cocaine or a nuclear weapon or anything else.”  The same voice off screen asks, “You can buy a nuclear weapon in Brazil?”  “I don’t know, I never tried,” the cop says with another dismissive shrug, “but probably.  With money you can get anything.”

Through all of this, we have a kidnap victim, a woman, recounting her story, complete with grainy video footage of her capture.  Her story is harrowing, and she tells it in such a clinical manner, all the way up to her ears being cut off and later recreated by a plastic surgeon.  We also see the surgeon and the procedure she describes.  

The story wouldn’t be complete if we did not hear from an actual criminal.  Well, we get an interview with Jader Barbalho, but that is standard political fare, and he really doesn’t say anything.  What might be the best interview in the film comes near the end.  Margrinho, a masked criminal, talks about life in the favelas, and how he went from robbing banks to kidnapping.  Margrinho casts himself as a Robin Hood character, using the money from his crimes to do things for his neighborhood that the government can’t be bothered with.  At the end, this kidnapper is asked if he has any children.  Of course he does, he has ten children.  “We can’t stop,” he says, “it’s the future of Brazil.”

Errol Morris has said that Manda Bala is not a film about Brazil but that it is a film about America in five years.  With its portrait of rampant, institutionalized corruption, the absence of any middle class, and violent crime as a part of everyday life, it’s hard to argue with such a grim prediction.  It presents enough of a negative image of Brazil in someone’s eyes that the film has been banned in that country.  

But it’s available here in the good ol’ U.S.A., and you should do yourself a favor: see it today.


Video

Manda Bala is presented in the original widescreen format.  The picture is beautiful.  The photography here is spectacular, and the transfer renders it brilliantly.  The color palate is sharp, and the black and white levels are solid.


Audio

This disc is presented in 5.1 Surround Sound.  This is not the most complicated soundtrack, but the presentation is excellent, with all channels coming through with great balance and clarity.  The interviews and archival footage are both sharply rendered.


Special Features

Audio Commentary with the Director and Producers: Jason Kohn, Joey Frank, and Jared Goldman cover everything here.  They talk about the genesis of the film, showing it to Errol Morris, the characters in the movie, and more.  This is a great commentary.

Additional Scenes: seven of them.  There is some interesting stuff here, well worth a look.  We get more on the S.U.D.A.M. scheme, frogs and more.


Final Thoughts

Manda Bala is one of the most compelling films to come along in quite some time.  We get a frightening portrait of society here, one that might be as far away as it seems.  The bonus material is a little on the thin side, but that’s a small quibble.  This is a film that demands to be seen.

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

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Review posted on Apr 24, 2008 | Share this article | Top of Page

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