A gripping and masterful documentary as hardly ever done in recent years in Brazil, "Three Blood Brothers" presents the story of three great famous
brothers, each in their respective field either the arts or social causes yet they all had in common their sense of peace, justice and the fight for a better
development of a nation, who sadly were all united in pain and sickness, losing their lives at early ages due to AIDS brought on by tainted blood
transfusions as they were all hemophiliac. It's the story of cartoonist/writer/TV host Henfil, activist Herbert de Souza (known as Betinho) and musician
Chico Mário and how they influenced a whole generation with their works devoted to social causes, politics and art where they view a nation as it was
and also as it could be.
Through a series of interviews with several of their sisters, sons and friends, we have a portrait that presents a balanced view on their early life
dealing with hemophilia and early developments on their careers, then moving on to political persecution during the military regime (Betinho had to live
abroad for nearly a decade, and how they fought for the return to democracy in their own way, through Henfil's toons (Fradinho, known as The Mad Monks in
U. S. where he tried a career for a short time - if you have the chance, read "Diário de Um Cucaracha" a series of his letters while living in New York), or
Mário's compositions on several songs. The third part is destined to the tragedy of it all with AIDS taking two of them in 1988 on a matter of months between
them, leaving Betinho alone with his famous campaign against hunger in Brazil, a very successful campaign that moved society and he got nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, and he also was an activist on the disease cause until his death in 1997.
It was a story that needed to be told and it was told in a great manner, with a much required sobriety and effect and some humor as well. I haven't
had the chance to see a recent miniseries released with Betinho as the lead character, so the best material to learn about their importance in Brazil
society and culture is through this fascinating piece, which contains many footage of their acts, interviews and musical performances, and even a brief
moment about Henfil's only film "Tanga (Deu no New York Times)?". While I don't like that film, I really loved to hear more about it, either if attracted
audiences back in 1987 or if it was a critical success or not. All we've got was that he was right about the film media being an immortal tool if compared
to drawings made on ink which can disappear. It's not like he says his art as published on countless newspapers will disappear, but the media celluloid is
a little more everlasting.
I was thrilled and moved by every minute of it. Definitely goes as one of my favorite documentaries of all time. 10/10.
