"Redentor" is not a portrayal of innocent middle class and its struggle for a better life as it is claimed in the above review. I am afraid that something may have been lost in translation. Instead, wrapped up in a witless comedy about a man who tries to do something good under the ordination of god, the movie casts a justifiably cynical light on the bleeding heart poverty cases of Rio de Janeiros favelas. In Rio we are always been told what to think about the poor people who have less and how they are just good people like the rest of the world but just in a bad situation. The realities are that whether through poverty or cultural distancing from society(schools, arts, philosophy, etc.) the reactions and instincts of people from the favelas are brute. They are unreserved and disrespectful to the rest of the world. They do not actively participate in society by any means. and this movie shows that. It clearly displays a man trying to give to society, and being fought every step of the way by the same people who he is fighting for. First he finds that the building in which his parents pre-paid an apartment has been taken over by a large favela group. His family which spent every dime they had to secure a place to live, now live in a single apartment with more than 8 or so people. When he goes in to the building in hopes of acquiring a statement he finds that these people not knowing the apartment is his tell him that no one came for them so now the building is theirs. Over-all the movie is troubling on many fronts but I believe it to be a waste of time for anyone up to par with politics or a worldly sense. It hides key issues by covering them with unimpressive rhetoric. This is actually interesting because it starts off in the first few minutes with amazing potential. Had it followed a different path it could really have been a movie. Better luck if there is a next time for the director but choose some actors which are Screen oriented as opposed to stage.(exception for Pedro Cardoso who is as always top notch)
