phoenixx100

I really enjoyed Yeast, and was surprised at how much more emotive the 'unscripted' directorial style is. Although I'm not a cinema student or major buff of any kind really, I found myself fascinated by this more natural way of crafting a film. The characters truly came alive for me, and I found myself feeling real sympathies for them and their frustrations with one another.

The profound constipation of communication was truly palpable at times, and this very fact, kind of eclipsed the need for there to be a more definite tale to tell. For me, the inability of the characters to be wholly at peace with one another, is what this story is all about. As another reviewer explained, this really is a 'universal dilemma,' and a very disturbing and sad one at that.

Mary Bronstein's character Rachel, although depicted as something of an emotional tyrant, evoked feelings of sincere sympathy within me; I'm a guy, but I have often observed similar difficulties in close female friendships. It was very entertaining and involving to watch, and I suspect that this excellent film will leave many viewers with a strange lingering feeling of voyeuristic guilt.

Wow, what a darkly profound film. Really gets down into the nitty-gritty details of the street gangster life (at least as it was in decades past) in Brazilian slums. The subtle storyline shifts involving various characters throughout the film may be slightly confusing for some viewers, but the general focus is on Rocket (Buscapé), who wraps up the entire plot of the film nicely at the end. The plentiful violence is never gratuitous; it's always believable. Even when casual cruelty is depicted, it makes sense in the world of the story. In spite of the constant drug dealing shown throughout, it really makes your heart go out to the ghetto denizens of South America, and hope that things ultimately will change for the better there.

I am compelled to strongly congratulate the entire cast, and particularly the directors (Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund) for creating such a masterful work, and truly capturing the needed atmosphere of fear and tension to make this movie believable, while also sprinkling in a (very) few lighter scenes to offer a sort of 'let up' to the relentless rush of the storyline forward to the jarring conclusion. Just enough of a surprise twist at the end to (almost) nudge this black gem of a film into the 'thriller' category. But not completely, because this is essentially a street gangster tale, though with a different plot than most, and a somewhat different execution.