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01/20/07
Lower City (2006)
60
%
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.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
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
Reviews for Lower City
A likeable and accomplished addition to the Latin American new wave.
09/28/06
Spunky performances and a dynamic, earthy style boost an otherwise predictable, albeit sexually-charged, latino love triangle.
04/01/06
Top CriticLower City is essentially an intimate, well-observed, compassionate film about what happens when lust gets in the way of friendship.
12/06/05
Top CriticEnjoyable drama that is like a cross between City of God and Y Tu Mama Tambien, with lashings of sex and violence and even the odd bit of ****-fighting thrown in.
12/06/05
All three principals give gutsy, intuitive performances; they generate a juice of pure sexual need and [director Sergio] Machado's camera drinks it dry.
12/06/05
Top CriticMachado cleverly undercuts audience expectations and refuses to make moral judgements about the behaviour of the threesome, choosing instead to reveal their inner vulnerability and celebrate their capacity for defiant survival.
12/06/05
Top CriticAnother bracingly dynamic Brazilian drama that jolts us with raw authenticity, finding the universality of human experience in a violent, passionate setting.
08/26/05
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04/23/09
A gritty, Brazilian drama which called for Alice Braga to be naked and in heat nearly non-stop, whether in a bed with a boyfriend or one of her assortedy Johns.
06/16/07
The meager plot is no more than a clothesline upon which to hang some heated sex scenes and ugly violence.
03/01/07
There are sections of the screenplay that lead nowhere and I also find the ending makes the film rather incomplete. Yet it's a gripping work, and a powerful journey while it lasts.
11/24/06
For stretches it's enough to enjoy the grungy but gorgeous locations, the soulful performances of the three leads and the frequent, ravenous sex scenes. OK, for long stretches it's enough.
09/06/06
not quite enough to make this the explosive debut he no doubt was wishing for.
08/30/06
Yes, it can be hard having a girlfriend who's a hooker.
08/30/06
The toastiest summer on record is but an intermittently flickering 40-watt bulb when held up to the positively incendiary sexual firestorm that is Brazilian import Lower City.
08/26/06
Everything feels obvious and by-the-numbers, as if director and co-writer Sérgio Machado was constrained by archetypes and narrative tradition.
08/18/06
With a distinct lack of action, Machado resorts to far too many close-ups of his stars until, as good-looking as they are, you tire of looking at them.
08/18/06
The setting is far more enticing than the story. Sometimes, that's enough.
08/18/06
Three potent performances readily compensate for the familiar plot.
08/18/06
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