Morro dos prazeres, the “hill of pleasures”, is a large favela in downtown Rio where the rhythm of daily life has long been ruled by criminality. A newly created police unit is given the mission of restoring order, but they first need to convince the residents. It takes time to sort out what each has to gain and how. Between the police patrols and the teenagers’ wanderings, Maria Ramos explores the district with a stylised sense of observation that breaks with the usual stereotypes. Like an ultrasound scan of a territory, the film captures the ways the favela is experienced, surveyed and inhabited.
M.M.
