Sequestro o Filme

Brazil is among the top 10 largest economies in the world and it shines as one of the most promising countries of the future. Yet, in the movie world, what often gives Brazil international recognition is the country’s notorious crime scene. “City of God” and “Elite Squad” are probably the best examples of this. Now, there is “Sequestro (Kidnapping)” which is the latest in the chain, however not quite found at the top.

“Sequestro,” directed by Brazilian Jorge W. Atalla, is a daring documentary that takes the audience directly into the thick of the kidnapping scene in São Paulo- Brazil’s largest city with a population of 18 million. (Certainly a dynamic feat, as the city has one of the highest crime rates in the world). The filmmakers gained incredible access to follow the city’s Anti-Kidnapping Police Division which seems to be working over-time in order to solve the growing number of kidnapping cases in the city. During the four years that the filmmakers followed this division, 376 people were kidnapped in São Paulo- over 1500 in Brazil.

The film begins with a chilling phone conversation between a kidnapper and the son of the man they’ve abducted as they try to negotiate a ransom – this case will later become the main narrative line of the film. The fear and desperation in the son’s voice and the ruthless, artificially high-pitched shrieks of the perpetrator hit the viewer right away with the gravity of the crime.

Right after this sequence, we’re taken through a brief history of kidnapping in Latin America through a skillfully constructed graphic montage. The unwinding of events is fascinating. It all starts at the end of the Cold War when the leftist movements in Latin America lost their funding from the ex-Soviet Union. To be able to adjust to a new world order, a guerilla movement called “Departemento America” assembled a faction to commit kidnappings and raise money to finance Latin American Guerrillas. When the members of this group were imprisoned with common criminals – a mistake on the part of the Brazilian authorities – it created the perfect environment for the crime of kidnapping to spread. The inmates often asked the Marxists to teach them the techniques of extortion through kidnapping. What once was a “sacred job,” as one leftist reflects, became a common crime.

The filmmakers make use of several kidnapping cases – with the ages of the kidnapped ranging from six to eighty-two. But the main story line is the kidnapping of Jose Ibiapina. The filmmakers spend a lot of time with his family and the police as they go through tedious negotiations to free Ibiapina. But his story often gets interrupted with other cases and interviews. Juggling between too many characters and different narratives sometimes clashes with the flow and endangers the doc by losing impact and clarity. It’s easy to mistake one case with another and feel lost at certain parts which are never desirable, particularly in non-fiction cinema.

What “Sequestro” does especially well is to follow the action as intimately and bravely as possible. It’s like watching one of those delicious crime shows on cable, but directed with the poise and dedication of a surgeon. The film oozes adrenaline, thanks to the astounding work of the cameraman who effortlessly, boldly trails the police as they carry out their highly dangerous operations in São Paulo’s crime-ridden slums.

Though walking a fine line between reality show climax and exploitative melodrama, the film’s most powerful moments take place when the police free the captive in each case. To witness the bewilderment of the traumatized hostages at the moment of freedom heightens emotions, and yet doesn’t feel voyeuristic as this is a very private moment for the captives.

“Sequestro” is certainly a captivating exploration of the darker side of Brazil’s burgeoning world status. But what the film lacks the most is a thorough background on the social factors that are motivating the increasing number of kidnappings in Brazil. This may remind some dedicated followers of Brazilian cinema of a superb documentary, “Bus 174.” It was the perfectly put together story of a young man who held a bus hostage for 12 hours and threatened to shoot all of its passengers – a shocking event that has possibly left a mark on every Brazilian’s consciousness. By revealing the young man’s life story, through interviews with his family members and friends, and carefully laying out the motivating factors behind his aggressive actions, “Bus 174” made a perfect case for social inequality in Brazil.

Though “Sequestro” is a masterful, on the ground portrait of the kidnapping scene in São Paulo, it fails to add a deeper level of understanding to the incentives behind the crime; and for that it’s like reading a novel with the final chapter torn out.