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Storyline
When two trash-picking boys from Rio's slums find a wallet in amongst the daily detritus of their local dump, little do they imagine that their lives are about to change forever. But when the local police show up, offering a handsome reward for the wallet's return, the boys, Rafael and Gardo, realize that what they've found must be important. Written by
Universal Pictures
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Taglines:
You never know what you might find
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Did You Know?
Trivia
It is based on the 2010 novel by Andy Mulligan.
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Crazy Credits
During the opening Universal logo animation, the lights of some Brasilian cities are visible longer than the rest of the cities of the world.
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Connections
Referenced in
Film '72: Episode #44.3 (2015)
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Soundtracks
A Minha Menina
Written by Jorge Ben
Published by Warner Chappel
Produced and arranged by Claudio Passavanti
Performed by Sunlightsquare
Courtesy of Sunlightsquare Records Ltd
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Set in the rubbish tips of Rio, two friends Raphael and Gardo- discover a wallet that has ended up in the trash. They know it is a windfall but then the cops turn up offering a large reward and Raphael thinks there is more to this than meets the eye. So they enlist the help of a diseased sewer kid called Rato and go off to discover its secrets.
There is a lot packed into this extremely well made film. Martin Sheen appears as a Priest who is helping the poor and Rooney Mara brings some glamour amidst the rubbish of the slum. There is violence here too and some scenes that should not be in a film that describes itself as a comedy. But that said this has a bit of everything. The young boys carry the story and are all excellent the cinematography is rather special too especially making the flotsam and detritus floating on a polluted river seem almost beautiful. It is a bit overly sentimental but no where near as much as say 'Slumdog Millionaire', and it is totally forgivable once taken in context.
I did though really enjoy this film, it is in Portuguese with a fair amount of English and it runs to 114 minutes all of which is put to great use. I also saw someone in the credits called 'Wellington Pingo' which is the best name ever - probably. This is for those who like a bit of grit, dirt, strong storyline and a rollicking ride completely recommended.