Reality of the Favelas are a Success at the Movies

Winner of this year’s Golden Bear Award for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival, “Elite Squad” is one of those movies that few people can feel indifferent about.

“Elite Squad” takes a closer look at police brutality in combating favela violence in Brazil. Director José Padilha spent two years investigating Rio de Janeiro’s Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), in collaboration with current members of the Battalion, psychiatrists from the Military Police and former drug dealers, to get a first-hand account of policing the slums. His goal was to portray the story in as realistic a manner as possible, in order to give those who don’t live the daily dramas and horrors of slum life a short peak into the reality of living in a favela.

This semi-fictional movie presents an intimate look at the police’s vast and intricate web of corruption and exposes their methods of getting information and dealing with criminals. According to the film, BOPE believes that in order to fight crime, the ends justify the means, meaning that they adopt tactics often more violent than those used by the criminals themselves. The film makes it difficult to distinguish between what is morally right or wrong, giving rise to a widespread debate in Brazil: while some condemn the extreme use of violence by the police, others believe it is the only way to control the drug lords and their cohorts.

Prior to the film’s release, a leaked pirated version was sold on the streets of Brazil’s major cities. It is estimated that more than 1 million people saw the movie before the official opening. “Elite Squad” was seen by more than 15 million Brazilians, making it one of the most viewed Brazilian movies of all time.