Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

The Charcoal People

Original title: Os Carvoeiros
  • 20002000
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 5m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
155
YOUR RATING
The Charcoal People (2000)
Home Video Trailer from Vanguard
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
5 Photos
Documentary
Documentary about the rural population who earn their living as coal miners, thus helping to keep metallurgic activity going and contributing to the forest devastation in South America.Documentary about the rural population who earn their living as coal miners, thus helping to keep metallurgic activity going and contributing to the forest devastation in South America.Documentary about the rural population who earn their living as coal miners, thus helping to keep metallurgic activity going and contributing to the forest devastation in South America.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
155
YOUR RATING
    • Nigel Noble
    • José Padilha
    • Nigel Noble
    • José Padilha
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 3User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
    • 46Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    The Charcoal People
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch The Charcoal People

    Photos

    The Charcoal People (2000)
    The Charcoal People (2000)
    The Charcoal People (2000)
    The Charcoal People (2000)

    More like this

    7 Days in Entebbe
    5.9
    7 Days in Entebbe
    Bus 174
    7.8
    Bus 174
    The Mechanism
    8.0
    The Mechanism
    Elite Squad
    8.0
    Elite Squad
    Garapa
    7.3
    Garapa
    Secrets of the Tribe
    7.3
    Secrets of the Tribe
    RoboCop
    6.2
    RoboCop

    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews3

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A Slow Paced and Powerful Filmic Essay
    This documentary didn't click for me immediately. Except for a few screens of text the narrative is related entirely by the charcoal people and landscape. The situation the film conveys is stark and simple on a factual level - The World demands iron and Brazil's expendable labor force and vast forests provide the charcoal needed to extract it from the ore. However, to tell the story in a meaningful way the film makers deliberately take us on a slow tour of the harsh reality of life in Brazil's charcoal producing regions.

    We watch extremely hard working people bake in the tropical sunlight and smoky charcoal fires. They tell us about their lives while beautiful cinematography shows us their dreary yet visually poetic daily duties. One subject mentioned multiple times is the possibility that literacy and formal education might spare their children from their own fate.

    The charcoal people aren't the only humans suffering on Earth right now. Nevertheless, after seeing this film you'll think more specifically about their plight. We all lose as they're forced to tear down more precious forest land to produce iron for the rest of us and feed themselves.
    helpful•2
    0
    • pingnick
    • Jun 19, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 26, 2000 (United States)
      • Brazil
      • Official site
      • Portuguese
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Bahia, Brazil
    • Production company
      • Zazen Produções
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 5 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Charcoal People (2000)
    Top Gap
    What is the Spanish language plot outline for The Charcoal People (2000)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.