Brazil is a nation where political and economic corruption and violent crime are a way of life for many, and filmmaker Jason Kohn examines some of the more unusual ways they manifest themselves in this documentary. In Manda Bala (Send a Bullet), Kohn's subjects include a plastic surgeon whose practice is dominated by the victims of kidnappers who lost their ears to their captors; a political figure who uses his frog ranch as a cover for illegal business operations which have made him a
multi-millionaire; and an auto customizer whose specialty is bullet-proofing luxury cars. Manda Bala (Send A Bullet) won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
To address the economic inequality of teeming Sao Paulo, Brazil, documentary maker Jason Kohn has joined several loosely related topics into a sort of rhetorical doughnut, leaving a hole in the center where his thesis should be.
We see where this is going early on; by the end, despite the film's beautiful cinematography, persuasive subjects and ironically upbeat soundtrack, we just feel bludgeoned.
Manda Bala (Send a Bullet), a documentary about corruption, crime and human adaptation during difficult circumstances, is a slick, sly and beautifully shot documentary.
Kohn takes a distinctive approach to this chronicle of kidnappings in Brazil%u2014call it the obsessively tangential drama-documentary. . . . the elegant, bright camerawork, along with the jaunty Brazilian musical score, builds a fitting sense of the surr
Kohn is a talented filmmaker and he's tackled a subject not seen before in documentary film, but you almost feel bludgeoned by the depressing state of Brazil instead of introduced to the problems there.
Kohn does a good job of bringing grim issues to light in a surprisingly entertaining manner. But maybe with a few more years of experience, he could make those issues resonate more fully.
Kohn, who shot Manda Bala in lush widescreen format and makes deft use of Brazilian pop music to give the film a cleverly incongruous soundtrack, is intent on making a picture that is as visceral to watch as it is to contemplate.
well done documentary with interwoven stories illuminating crime and corruption in sao paulo, where someone is kidnapped every day; the rich travel with bodyguards in armored cars and heliocopters, while a huge underclass struggles for survival and certain politicians are no better than gangsters. the roots of this
corruption are traced back to colonial days. this film is banned in brazil. i'm surprised more people haven't seen it. currently streamable on netflix.'when the rich steal from the poor, the poor steal the rich'
April 20, 2008
Stella Dallas
Super Reviewer
A wonderful, if ultimately somewhat aloof, look at the prolific number of kidnappings in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and the social conditions that allow for it. Plays almost like a black comedy. Worth watching, especially if you plan on traveling to that region.Also, you must like frogs, but not love them. Otherwise, this
is not the film for you.
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