Pixote is a 1981 movie directed by Hector Babenco.
WHAT HAPPENS?
A young Brazilian boy escapes from a juvenile detention center and becomes involved with robbery, drugs and prostitution. He is forced to survive on the streets while those around him fall prey to its dangers.
ONE LINE REVIEW
Pixote is a raw, heartbreaking look at lost youth.
THE ACTORS
The authenticity of Pixote is remarkable, as the actors are essentially Brazilian street kids. Fernando Ramos da Silva turns in an extraordinary performance as the lead character, an 11-year old trying to inhabit a dangerous adult world. Perhaps because of his inexperience as an actor, he plays Pixote with a blend of confidence and blissful unawareness.
However, you can feel the character through his expressive eyes. Silva is continually wide-eyed, soaking in his ever-changing environment. He adapts brilliantly in a tragic sense, becoming a hardened criminal. This transformation is interrupted only when we remember Pixote is still a kid.
The wrenching scene that best exemplifies this divide sees Marilia Pera’s prostitute Sueli cradling Pixote as he sucks against her breast. It’s a devastating look at two broken lives – Pixote is the motherless child gangster while Sueli can never escape the emotional damage of her past.
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