Customer Reviews
At least the heat of this film does jumps out at you - By: Jenny J.J.I., 29 Jun 2007 
"Lower City" was quite good. As a whole, I enjoyed this film but was far from being blown away. All three of the leads are give an opportunity to make an impression. The script however, leaves a bit to be desired. After watching this yesterday the movies that came to mine was City of God/ Amores Perros/ Y Tu Mama Tambien simply because it was to be expected. It is one of the good films that had recently came out of South America. However, "Lower City" doesn't quite live up to its comparative brothers but does manage to create a feel of its own. I empathized with each of the characters & felt they were played brilliantly by the actors involved. There was a real sense of raw passion with the helplessness of the poverty/ crime lifestyle they find themselves in.
In this film we have two childhood friends, Deco (Lazaro Ramos) & Naldinho (Wagner Moura) whom both meet Karinna (Alice Braga), a stripper looking for a cheap ride to the city of Salvador, in exchange for sexual favours with the boys. Deco first, & Naldinho later, falll in love for Karinna, who likes both of them, forming a triangle of love & jeopardizing the friendship of Deco & Naldinho. "Cidade Baixa" is a real & cruel triangle of love, having the landscape of the red light district in the lower zone of Salvador & the environment of hopeless people that lives in the limit of the marginality of the society, prostituting, robbing, & fighting for surviving. The plot is actuallly unpredictable, with many possibilities & an open end. But the great surprise is the unknown actress Alice Braga, niece of Sonia Braga, performing a very erotic & searing character & dignifying the name of her aunt.
Even though this is a low budget movie it exhales sexual tension & mild eroticism. The pace of the story does dips in the middle but the end delivers excitement & resolution. If you are a fan of Brazilian movies like myself, this is a must watch since it's casted by two of the new generation of great Brazilian actors.
Brazilian "Jules et Jim" lived up to expectations. - By: West End Girl, 21 Jun 2006 
Lower City appealed for the usual reasons: I read some positive reviews, & I love the Latin American/Spanish genre. Touted as a "sexy" film, the dvd cover has quotes such as "Steaminess & sexiness abound" (The Guardian) "Sultry, sweaty" (The Times) & yes, there is plenty of highly-charged passion from the three very convincing protagonists. But don't be misled: this a love story, a love triangle that even seems to take the characters by surprise.
Deco & Naldhino are lifelong best friends & co-owners of a smalll boat. On a trip down the river to Salvador del Bahia, they strike a deal to give a ride to a young prostitute, Karinna, paying for her services on the journey. A scene that takes place the following morning shows Karinna sitting on the dock, painting her toe-nails. Naldhino & Deco are unloading produce from their boat & she glances over her shoulder at them. The moment suggests a contentment, but it's also the signpost where you want to calll out " Say good-bye now. Go your seperate ways. Ahead is jealousy, obsesssion & violence." But it's already too late. Once Karinna made the decision to board the boat, their collective fate was sealed.
The inevitable turmoil ensues, & as the narrative progresses, there's a sense that the three can't function without each other, even though this makes everyone unhappy. The oddly uplifting aspect of the situation they find themselves in, is a mutual support & therefore survival, in the decrepit volatility of Salvador. I don't want to give more away, but a major crisis prompts questions: can there be a long term future spent together, or must they be apart?
The dvd cover states that Lower City is a "powerful & erotic fusion of "City of God", "y tu mama tambien", & Truffaut's "Jules et Jim." I'd agree with this, & I'll definitely watch it again. If you go for those titles, you'll go for this too.
