Name: Olho da Rua
Genre: Documentary
Duration: 1 h 22 min

A Great Documentary for a Very Specific Public

'Olho da Rua' (Eye of the Street, the correct translation in English) is a documentary filmed on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, with very peculiar and unique people that works on the streets. The target of this movie is a very specific group of Brazilians that lives in big cities and is interested on this type of information (like me). Foreigners, even those who live in Rio, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre or any other big and developed city in Brazil, will not catch, for example, the wrong Portuguese spoken by most of the interviewed or the funny accent from the country in the North of Brazil. The 'amolador de facas'( knife sharpener) is a profession extinguished in big cities. Imagine that one presented in the documentary, who play the Hymns of the City of Rio de Janeiro and Flamengo (the most popular soccer team in Brazil) and the Bolero of Ravel using a blade? Since I was a kid I have not seen one of this knife sharpener any more. The movie also shows many persons originated from the circus (the dog trainer, the gypsy, the 'repentistas'- very funny singers originated from North of Brazil, the soccer player with one leg, the traffic light jugglers) and working now on the streets. You can see also many persons that works on the street repairing small objects, like pans, chairs or umbrellas. Or the street vendors, selling oranges, cookies, herbs, or painting posters. In the periphery of big cities or in the interior and country of Brazil, you probably will find this type of professions, since the income of this population is very low. It may be difficult to a foreigner understand how, for example, a man that fix umbrellas can survive making about 50 cents per repaired umbrella, but do not forget that the minimum wage paid in Brazil is about eighty (80) US Dollars per month and a great part of the population receives less than that ridiculous amount. The only universal street profession showed in this movie is the whore. A great documentary for a very specific public. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Olho da Rua" ("Eye of the Street")

Portuguese-language cinema, spanning Portugal, Brazil, and other Lusophone regions, focuses on history, cultural identity, and the struggles of ordinary people, often framed with poetic or allegorical storytelling. In Portugal, cinema has emphasized meditative pacing and philosophical depth, reflecting on memory and tradition. In Brazil, it has often been politically charged and socially vibrant, highlighting inequality and resilience while experimenting with popular and avant-garde forms.

Alexandre Rodrigues in City of God (2002)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The daily life of twenty characters who make the streets of Rio their place of work, transforming the public space into a studio, studio, stage, kitchen, workshop, terrace or balcony.

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Olho da Rua

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