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08/05/06
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Lower City (2006)
60
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:53
Fresh:32
Rotten:21
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: This familiar story of a tension-fraught love triangle wavers between brutality and steamy sex.
Theatrical Release:Jun 16, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Steamy sex, glistening sweat, dark photography, grungy ghetto colors, and sudden violence pervade this Brazilian feature from director Sergio Machado. Alice Braga (CITY OF GOD) stars as Karinna, a... [More]
Starring: Alice Braga, José Dumont, Wagner Moura, Lazaro Ramos
Director: Sérgio Machado
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Reviews for Lower City
A likeable and accomplished addition to the Latin American new wave.
09/28/06
The movie turns out to be a predictable and somewhat sentimental lower-depths love triangle, but Ms. Braga almost makes it work.
06/15/06
Top CriticIn the end, Lower City is never quite as energetic as it wants to be, touched by the strange, milky lethargy that steeps every waterfront film.
06/12/06
Brazilian filmmaker Sergio Machado scores a strong debut with this look at young hustlers in a lovers' triangle.
07/28/06
In trying for realism, Machado only achieves dramatic inertness. His three fallen characters drift through life with no purpose other than to satisfy their immediate physical needs.
08/17/06
As universal as the plot may be, it must be said that Karinna, Deco and Naldinho's longings, resentments, economic desperation and confusions are unnervingly palpable throughout.
06/30/06
A steamy lust triangle that would be better if you didn't get the feeling that the guys were competing (kinda like in the cockfight) and Karinna is just the prize that goes to the victor.
08/18/06
not quite enough to make this the explosive debut he no doubt was wishing for.
08/30/06
Lower City is essentially an intimate, well-observed, compassionate film about what happens when lust gets in the way of friendship.
12/06/05
Though the storyline is dirt simple (can friendship outlive jealousy?) and not particularly meaningful or involving, the action in this character-driven film is scintillatingly sexy.
02/18/06
The meager plot is no more than a clothesline upon which to hang some heated sex scenes and ugly violence.
03/01/07
It's unlikely that even the most sophisticated or jaded of festival audiences will kindly endure the onslaught of viciousness on display.
09/26/05
The Monster's Ball Fan Club will surely get a kick out of Sérgio Machado's Lower City, another specious mix of febrile sex and faux race commentary.
06/09/06
Another fine example of Brazilian cinema at its best.
06/15/06
There's also something patronizing about the zeal with which Machado wallows in the muck, especially since his characters' lives revolve entirely around sex.
06/16/06
This frenetic potboiler about a love triangle on the Salvador waterfront smacks of liberal slumming and bristles with faux authenticity.
06/29/06
Yes, it can be hard having a girlfriend who's a hooker.
08/30/06
This is nothing really special, but it gets the job done.
06/17/06
'Hot' is the word for this look into the less touristy parts of Brazil.
05/30/06
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