Synopsis
Pelourinho, a spectacular carnival site, people living in shabby buildings adjoined to each other: the movie's two main characters. The impoverished represent typical small Brazilian townspeople: an artist whose purpose in life is carnival, a Christian landlord for whom carnival represents sin and shame, a loudmouthed woman whose fancy European life and foreign husband are the pride and joy of her existence. Hot-blooded, cheerful, healthy, free, they sing and dance from the rhythm imprinted in their system. Their 'seductive' movements are nothing but expressions of their free spirit. Juxtaposition of wailing mothers of dead children and starkly-contrasting carnival dazzles exposes life's dualism: Pain and pleasure co-exist. (OAK Mina)