Bus 174
Released 2002
Directed by José Padilha, Felipe Lacerda
This moving documentary depicts a fateful day in June 2000 when a Rio de Janeiro bus carrying 12 passengers was hijacked by a man named Sandro do Nascimento. Cameras rolled as he touted his plans to kill all aboard but was finally persuaded to give himself up. A cop nonetheless opened fire on Nascimento, killing a passenger instead and causing the city's streets to erupt in riots. Details of Nascimento's very troubled childhood are also featured.
Summary by www.netflix.com
I would have enjoyed this documentary more if I had not seen City of God so recently. They both highlight the same problems in Brazil, and boy what problems they are. Both movies do an excellent job of exposing Brazil's forgotten street children, and I think it's only necessary to see one of the two movies. Personally, I preferred City of God myself. I think "Bus 174" was too long, and I didn't like the way it excused Sandro's crimes while forgetting his victims. I think it's perfectly fine to delve into the reasons that led to the crime, but I lose all sympathy once the crimes turn violent. At that point I don't care about the perp anymore, and my sympathies turn to the victims. The movie uses the bus incident to raise awareness about the plight of these children and how they live such hard lives. Obviously, something needs to happen to address the problem. I feel horrible for these little kids who either take to the street or are turned loose by their families, and I can forgive their petty crime that allows them to live. Once they turn violent, however, it's too bad too sad for them. When they hold a gun to an innocent girl's head, their background is no longer important to me. At that point, the police had a responsibility to the girl, and they should have blown Sandro's brains out. They had many perfect opportunities, butthey waited and acted impulsively. Whether this was a political decision or poor training, they cost a young girl her life. The entire affair was a huge clusterfuck, and then they compounded it by killing Sandro after they arrested him. Like I said, Brazil has many difficult problems to solve, but I'm not sure they have the will to do so yet. --Bill Alward, March 6, 2005