A.K.A. O Bandido da Luz Verlemha
I never know whether to use the English title or the one from the country of origin when it comes to these foreign-language movies. Is there a system I need to know about? Or should I just keep going with whatever Wikipedia and Letterboxd use?
Anyway, The Red Light Bandit, as I'm choosing to call it, is the first Brazilian (and I'm pretty sure the first South American) film I've ever seen, so I don't have a strong handle on the underground movement it was experiencing at the time. But I will say that, as an outsider, it reminds me a lot of the French New Wave, for better and for worse.
On the positive side, I appreciate how uninhibited and radical the movie is, with its scrappy energy, provocative commentary (I'm especially partial to those sensationalist narrators), and general emphasis on bad taste. But, on the flip side, it's also mopey and self-satisfied in the way that a lot of New Wave movies are often accused of being, with a wandering narrative approach that, while unique and expressive, tends to get in the way of the simple, character-driven premise.
Speaking of, my favourite portion of the movie was the opening half hour, which manages to combine young rebellion, reckless crime, dark humour, and Beethoven's 5th in a way that feels like a proto-Clockwork Orange.
Grade: B
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