People are voting emotionally.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

There are plenty of flaws – the doctor at the center of this prison story stays a grinning Buddha- like cipher, some of the prisoners feel like tattered clichés or soap opera characters. Yet, in the end, the total effect is amazingly powerful. By coming to see these men as real human beings with families and stories, before watching the insane storming of the prison by riot troops who killed 111 of them, the film has a real visceral power. Manipulative, one-sided, hokey at moments and some performances better than others, but ultimately that rare piece of agit-prop filmmaking that really works to make you see things in a different light.

Individual stories of inmates in the huge, overcrowded and infamous Carandiru penitentiary in Sao Paulo, Brazil; the fil rouge being a doctor (a narrow character who ain't but a narrative excuse) who decides to take care of the prisoners during the outbreak of AIDS epidemic. At the end, a futile fight starts a riot which will eventually end with the death of 111 inmates.Carandiru is'nt a masterpiece. But it's a good, solid, non moralistic or stereotyped and yet entertaining prison movie which manage to transport the non-Brazilian viewer to feel the noises, the colors, even the scents of a lively, desperate and merciless world in which good and evil, guilt and innocence are inextricable.Way better than Ciudad de Deus ("City of God") by Meirelles, which was a lot more successful abroad; IMHO, it was just a stylish gangster-movie with a Brazilian location.

Let's get things straight here, if you were drawn to this film due its comparisons to the equally magnificent City of God, you're going to be surprised. Aside from the fact that its a Brazilian film about criminals, there are few similarities. While City of God was an epic story of life in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, Carandiru is about much older criminals and the days leading up to the infamous Carandiru prison massacre.However, this is not the non-stop assault on the senses of grim violence you might expect. In fact, only the last twenty minutes or so of the film deal with the massacre at all and the film instead concentrates on a much more human aspect to the carnage. Focusing on the character of the Doctor as he tries to raise awareness of AIDs in the prison, it revolves around his day to day life as he chats casually with the inmates, learning of their hopes, fears and more often than not, their reason for being in the prison in the first place. These are stories that range from sad, to touching to outright hilarity and you soon find yourself absorbed in this world of offbeat criminals, so much so that when the violence does erupt, it is all the more shocking for it.There are differences to the normal, US prison drama as well. I'm not sure how the Brazilians run their penitentiaries, but here there are no uniforms and they are allowed many of the comforts of home, along with free reign of the prison yard. But these are still drab conditions, with multiple inmates crammed into a single room, sweltering in the intense heat of the tropical summer. And ultimately, the prison is a community, made of genuine individuals, rather than clear cut prison stereotypes. This is a masterful film, one of my top movies of all time.

My friend lent me this film and to be honest I was not really interested or excited about seeing it. I only put it on because boredom had took over me so I was not expecting to see a good film!! The film starts off with lots of characters shouting and arguing, also I am not used to watching films with subtitles so to say I was slightly confused would be an understatement!! 15 minutes in and I was hooked, I wont give anything away but the film focuses on a selection of inmates and their life in Carandiru prison. It also has sub stories on how they became to be inmates. Some amusing, shocking and interesting moments throughout the film will have the viewer completely tuned in to the way of life these inmates had. This is a true story about the massacre of inmates at the prison when police dealt with a riot. It is an amazing film and the ending is brilliant. I have watched it 4 times with different people and they too agree it was excellent. If you like prison movies and don't mind reading subtitles this film is for you. In my opinion its almost as good as shawshank redemption (my favorite film) and better than midnight express. This is only my opinion and I am sure people will argue otherwise but from me this film gets an 8 out of 10.