This episodic film is set in São Paulo's House of Detention, referred to as Carandiru, one of Latin America's largest prison systems. 7,800 men serve time in a facility built to house a maximum of 3,000 prisoners. An Oncololgy Doctor (Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) arrives in the jail to test patients for HIV infection. Seeing the disease, overcrowding, and rampant circulation of drugs, he notices the internal power structure among the prisoners. The doctor is moved to volunteer his services on a weekly basis. As his efforts begin to bear results, he gradually earns the respect of the prison community. Several narratives develop, including the attempted murder of Dagger (Milhem Cortaz), the solitary confinement of Chico (Milton Goncalves), and the romance between Lady Di (Rodrigo Santoro) and Too Bad (Gero Camilo). The doctor eventually establishes a routine and sees the prisoners as survivors. Tragically, everything leads to the violent conclusion: the October 2, 1992 prison riot known historically as the Carandiru Massacre. Policemen storm the prison and murder 111 unarmed inmates.
Based on a true story, "Estação Carandiru" (Carandiru Station), a memoir by Dr. Dráuzio Varella, the film's first moments are close-up and rough. The camera puts you inside the notoriously overcrowded and treacherous São Paulo prison, where two inmates argue over one's right to slit the other's throat. Dr. Varella said, "I have no right to tell a story like this, if someone's going to identify the person I'm talking about. This guy didn't tell me his story so I can use in a book. He told me because I’m a doctor and he trusted his doctor. However, the story should be told."
The DVD emphasizes the films historical context and political argument: in addition to director Babenco’s mostly narrative commentary, a "making of" documentary, it includes seven deleted scenes, and historical footage of prison activities from 1928 (when prisoners were enrolled in music and math classes, and rewarded for “excellent behavior"), as well as the demolition of the prison in 1993 in an effort to destroy the horrific memories it held. André Abujamra composed the original music. Hector Babenco, Fernando Bonassi, and Victor Navas wrote the screenplay based on Dr. Dráuzio Varella's book. Hector Babenco directed. In Portuguese with subtitles in English and other languages.
