Pixote

A deeply disturbing and heartbreaking neo-realist film, about an abandoned, unwanted 10 year old living first in a reformatory, and then on Brazil's mean streets. The performances Babenco gets from his non-professional cast are amazing, especially his tiny young lead. The film almost totally avoids the twin traps of false sentimentality (although it's got plenty of emotion), or needless flashiness. It occasionally feels aimless, but somehow, in the end, always adds up. Probably the weakest, most problematic moment is the opening, where the `director' (Babenco, or an actor?) tells us that these actors are real people, gives us some facts and figures about them, and tells that their lives are much like those shown in the film. It then took me the first few minutes of the movie to forget about that, and get involved with the characters, and not get all intellectually caught up the artistic complexities of `real people' playing a dramatic variation on their lives. So perhaps I don't consider this terrific, important film a 'perfect' masterpiece as so many do- but I deeply admire it and respect it, would encourage everyone to see it (though you doubtless find the experience upsetting) and look forward to seeing it a third time. You will never be able to look at a poor kid on the street quite the same way again. And I'm thrilled that after years of waiting, a proper 1:85 release is available. Yes, it's DVD-R, which means it may not play on your computer, theoretically will have a shorter shelf life, and has no extras. But after years where this important, influential film was out of print and very difficult to see - and when you could find it it was a terribly transferred 4:3 VHS based version that someone wanted $60 for - this is a big step in the right direction

Truly a chilling, and vivid account of Brazil's homeless children and teenagers. How they are used by corrupt police and other criminal organizations to commit crimes. This stars Fernando Ramos Da Silva as your main star Pixote who sadly in real life at the age of 19 was killed by Brazilian police in São Paulo. Art sadly came true and ended in a gun shoot out. Sadly Fernando Ramos Da Silva was never able to get out of the slums in real life and seemed to become the part. Although there is a mystery behind his death. Some say he was murdered by the very corrupt police the movie showcases. He often stated that he could never get away from the image of Pixote and that the police could never differentiate his real self from his character or maybe it was him who could not. This deals with the poverty of street children. Children that end up committing crimes because they are exploited by adults. Most once caught are sent to overcrowded dormitories where they struggle to survive. On the outside kidnapped, they struggle to find food and are treated as sexual objects. This is a vivid depiction of the world of innocence’s lost. This holds nothing back. The rape of children, the abuse of children, the lost souls. All seen through the eyes of one young boy named Pixote. You can finish my review here: http://www.abucketofcorn.com/2013/11/pixote-1981.html?m=0

From what I have heard this movie is a fairly realistic account of what life is like for homeless children in Brazil. This movie shows a cold hearted system which produces cold hearted young hoodlums. We watch the 10-year-lod Pixote (a somewhat reserved child, at least compared to some of the others) caught up in a law enforcement sweep of local youth, and placed in a reformatory where abuse by officials and other residents is rampant, and the children practice how to improve their criminal skills. By the end of the movie, and by which time Pixote is back on the streets, Pixote has become a cold hearted criminal.

A superb movie depicting what street kids in Brazil go through to survive. I wonder who the real criminals are, where the police are brutal towards the kids, and the cover ups they used. Although inspired by the book Childhood of the Dead, with a lot more in the book and the characters loosely based on the ones in the book.The movie wouldn't have gotten passed the censors if everything was depicted in the book was on screen. I like the vulnerability of the main character, especially when it seemed he had never been weened from his mother properly after his breast suckling moment with the prostitute

wrong region didnt work

Ótimo produto, imagem e áudio excelentes. O filme em si um retrato cruel dos meninos de rua do Brasil anos 80. Pungente

Really interesting film and thought provoking

Bon film qui ne fait pas son age. Dur, mais très prenant.

Nur französische Untertitel. Nichts in deutsch oder englisch. Warum wird sowas auf amazon.de vetkauft? 12 eur in den Wind..

Film essentiel et indispensable. Tellement d'actualité. Un Pixote bouleversant. Il a été tué peu de temps après le film dans la favela où il habitait!