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Baptism of Blood

Original title: Batismo de Sangue
  • 20062006
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
706
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Batismo de Sangue (2006)
  • Drama
During the period of 1964 to 1985, Brazil lived a military dictatorship. In the 60s, the Dominican friars Tito, Betto, Fernando and Ivo help leftist organizations. However, they are arrested... Read allDuring the period of 1964 to 1985, Brazil lived a military dictatorship. In the 60s, the Dominican friars Tito, Betto, Fernando and Ivo help leftist organizations. However, they are arrested and tortured by the despicable Chief of DOPS Fleury, who is trying to arrest the leader C... Read allDuring the period of 1964 to 1985, Brazil lived a military dictatorship. In the 60s, the Dominican friars Tito, Betto, Fernando and Ivo help leftist organizations. However, they are arrested and tortured by the despicable Chief of DOPS Fleury, who is trying to arrest the leader Carlos Marighella. Tito and Fernando do not resist the violent torture and betray Marighell... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
706
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Helvecio Ratton
  • Writers
    • Dani Patarra
    • Helvecio Ratton
  • Stars
    • Caio Blat
    • Daniel de Oliveira
    • Léo Quintão
Top credits
  • Director
    • Helvecio Ratton
  • Writers
    • Dani Patarra
    • Helvecio Ratton
  • Stars
    • Caio Blat
    • Daniel de Oliveira
    • Léo Quintão
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 3User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 12 nominations

    Photos6

    Caio Blat in Batismo de Sangue (2006)
    Caio Blat in Batismo de Sangue (2006)
    Batismo de Sangue (2006)
    Caio Blat and Daniel de Oliveira in Batismo de Sangue (2006)
    Batismo de Sangue (2006)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Caio Blat
    Caio Blat
    • Frei Titoas Frei Tito
    Daniel de Oliveira
    • Frei Bettoas Frei Betto
    Léo Quintão
    • Frei Fernandoas Frei Fernando
    Odilon Esteves
    • Frei Ivoas Frei Ivo
    Ângelo Antônio
    • Frei Oswaldoas Frei Oswaldo
    Cássio Gabus Mendes
    Cássio Gabus Mendes
    • Fleuryas Fleury
    Marku Ribas
    • Carlos Marighellaas Carlos Marighella
    Murilo Grossi
    • Raul Carecaas Raul Careca
    Renato Parara
    • Pudimas Pudim
    Marcelia Cartaxo
    Marcelia Cartaxo
    • Nildesas Nildes
    • (as Marcélia Cartaxo)
    Jorge Emil
    • Frei Diogoas Frei Diogo
    Marco Amaral
    • Capitão Torturadoras Capitão Torturador
    Alexandre Cioletti
    • João Antônioas João Antônio
    Cynthia Falabella
    • Janaas Jana
    Kassia Lumi Abe
    • Taekoas Taeko
    Ivan Reis
    • Advogadoas Advogado
    Rogério Falabella
    • Juizas Juiz
    Wolney Oliveira
    • Diretor do jornalas Diretor do jornal
    • Director
      • Helvecio Ratton
    • Writers
      • Dani Patarra
      • Helvecio Ratton
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    During the period of 1964 to 1985, Brazil lived a military dictatorship. In the 60s, the Dominican friars Tito, Betto, Fernando and Ivo help leftist organizations. However, they are arrested and tortured by the despicable Chief of DOPS Fleury, who is trying to arrest the leader Carlos Marighella. Tito and Fernando do not resist the violent torture and betray Marighella, who is ambushed and executed by Fleury. In 1973, in France, the exiled friar Tito is unable to overcome his trauma and depression and commits suicide in the Convent of La Tourette. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    • male pubic hair
    • pubic hair
    • male frontal nudity
    • liberation
    • liberation theology
    • 15 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During one of the interrogation sessions, the chief of police Sergio Paranhos Fleury - played by Cássio Gabus Mendes - talks about his dream of having a boat and live in Ilhabela. In 1979, 10 years after the facts depicted in that particular scene, Fleury would die in an unexplained drowning in Ilhabela after falling from his boat.
    • Goofs
      When the news breaks out about Marighella's death and Frei Betto is on the bar, he's first seeing next to a long glass of water. But when the shot cuts to present a character who moves towards him, you can see a minor glass with coffee or Coca-Cola when he's paying the bill.
    • Connections
      Featured in Cidadão Boilesen (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Noite dos Mascarados
      Written by Chico Buarque

      Performed by Chico Buarque & Elis Regina

      Phonogram: Universal Music

    User reviews3

    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    A well-intentioned mess
    The true story of four Dominican friars -- Tito (Caio Blat), Fernando (Léo Quintão), Ivo (Odilon Esteves) and Betto (Daniel de Oliveira) -- who, in the late 1960s, were actively engaged in helping left-wing organizations in radical actions against the ultra-violent Brazilian military regime. Denounced, arbitrarily arrested and savagely tortured in military and police precincts, they were subsequently prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated, but one of them would not survive: Tito, exiled in France, paranoid, depressed and unable to cope with the terrifying memories of physical and psychological torture, committed suicide in 1973, hanging himself from a tree in the Convent of La Tourette.

    "Batismo de Sangue", based on Frei (friar) Betto's eponymous best-selling account of the facts, is yet another piece in the mosaic Brazilian filmmakers are trying to assemble concerning the tragic, traumatic "lead years" of the military regime in Brazil (1964-1985). The fact that Betto, Fernando and Ivo are still alive and have collaborated with director/writer Helvécio Ratton in the film gives "Batismo" a first-hand, I've-been-there legitimacy. Regrettably, the film turns out to be an honest, serious, well-intentioned mess.

    The main problem with "Batismo" is the shapeless, confusing screenplay: the facts are thrown on the screen with no links, preparation, dramatic criteria. Ratton doesn't know how to select his material: instead of choosing a few characters and situations and developing them, he sticks in loads of absolutely expendable scenes and characters (e.g. the journalist who's in love with Betto, Tito's sister, etc) and chops everything up to the point of unintelligibility. You have to do the writers' work for them, figuring out who's who, what their connections are, establishing causes and effects, and filling in the narrative gaps.

    The four main characters have no individual personalities, no back stories, we know nothing about them except that they are Dominican friars who somehow got caught up in the events. And it doesn't help that they all look alike, with their white habits, dark hair and thick glasses. We never get to understand WHY Tito sinks into paranoia and depression while the other three somehow get over their harsh experience. Likewise, the "evil" characters (the torturers) are laughable caricatures, devils just short of having horns and hoofs. We also have to deal with dozens of sketchy under-written characters -- friars, students, political activists, prison inmates, lawyers, judges, and the women in general -- who overcrowd the screen and make things even more confusing.

    The time that could be devoted to building up the characters is spent on gruesome, graphic torture scenes. No doubt it's important to show to younger generations that, not so long ago, systematic torture was an institutionalized routine praxis of the Brazilian Military Government. But those scenes backfire: we know so little about the friars who are being tortured that all we can do is appreciate how realistic, disgusting and bloody it all looks -- in those scenes the film dangerously slips into the slasher/gore genre.

    Naturally, the film is unavoidably Catholic: there are scenes of enlightening egalitarian sermons, soul-searching antiphonies and chantings, improvised masses in the filthy prison cells that melt down the hard hearts of the atheist Communist activists (but not the hearts of the eeeevil military, of course, though they were probably Catholic themselves), theological explanations about how St.Thomas Aquinas can be summoned to validate guerrillas, and how Communists and Dominicans are meant to be brothers deep down, since Jesus was a revolutionary activist who was also persecuted, tortured and murdered. These long scenes can be REALLY off-putting for non-Catholics.

    There are other disappointments: the cast is under-used, with fine actors like Daniel de Oliveira and Ângelo Antônio especially wasted. Caio Blat seems, like us, totally lost about Tito: he jumps from goofy, joyous innocence to faithless, depressive paranoia with nothing in-between. First-timers Léo Quintão and Odilon Esteves are unimpressive and Marku Ribas as Marighella is an embarrassment. Worst of all is scenery-chewing Cássio Gabus Mendes as the tough big boss torturer Fleury: he yells so much his voice goes into spasms. The music by the great experimental musician Marco Antonio Guimarães is disappointingly ineffective: it just isn't film music. On the positive side, Lauro Escorel's cinematography is very accomplished, as usual, and Adrian Cooper's art direction is suitably evocative of that era.

    I wish I could recommend "Batismo de Sangue": it's a serious enterprise full of good intentions -- but that's about it. However, it will perhaps urge some viewers to read Frei Betto's far more comprehensive and coherent book, so the film's not a complete waste of everybody's efforts.
    helpful•18
    3
    • debblyst
    • Nov 15, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 17, 2006 (Brazil)
    • Country of origin
      • Brazil
    • Language
      • Portuguese
    • Also known as
      • Мученичество
    • Filming locations
      • Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
    • Production company
      • Quimera Produções
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $141,418
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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