Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Jason Kohn

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

When the rich steal from the poor... the poor steal the rich

Plot:

An examination of corruption and class warfare in Brazil as told through the stories of a wealthy businessman, a plastic surgeon who assists kidnapping victims and a politician whose income relies on a frog farm.

Awards:

4 wins

Also Known As:

Send a Bullet (International: English title)

Runtime:

USA:85 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

Brazil | USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil

Company:

Kilo Films

Trivia:

The idea of using translators and picturing them on screen was borrowed from a presentation documentary director Errol Morris (director Jason Kohn's mentor) made for the Academy Awards, in which Mikhail Gorbachev discussed his favorite films, with a translator in the background of the shot converting the former USSR leader's Russian into English.

Exploitative and ignorant

Sure, there's much to say about the economic inequality that has turned Sao Paulo into a violent city. But Manda Bala isn't the place to hear it. Yes, there are facts that will shock anyone thoroughly unfamiliar with Brazil's political and social problems--and even some that might surprise those who are. But it's the treatment of these issues that is so poor. The focus is on the most exploitative, gut-wrenching images rather than on true analysis, and the director doesn't have the insight to conduct a truly incisive interview.

Plus, it's not well done as a documentary--those images may be stomach-churning but not necessarily well-composed or interesting in and of themselves. And the editing leaves a lot to be desired too. At only 85 minutes, it feels way longer.