A street kid in Santos who'd rather burn than bend — Brazil's forgotten youth, screaming in 89 minutes.
Querô is an orphan teenager, living alone near the docks in Santos, Brazil. His mother, a prostitute, died when he was a baby, and he was raised in the bordello where she worked. Believing he rules his own destiny, he refuses to compromise with anyone else, the corrupt policemen always chasing him, the oppressive discipline in the juvenile institution Febem, or the drug dealers who try to lure him. But this independence has a price.
Acting
Maxwell Nascimento's feral stillness — he never begs for sympathy.
Direction
Cortez shoots Santos docks like a character that wants Querô dead.
Sound
The absence of score during chase scenes — just breath and panic.
Director
Carlos Cortez
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Febem (Fundação Estadual do Bem-Estar do Menor) was Brazil's infamous juvenile detention system, finally abolished in 2006 — this film captures its last gasp.
Lead actor Maxwell Nascimento was discovered in a Santos street theater group; this was his only feature film role before disappearing from cinema.
BR
