Pixote: 3.5/4 stars.
This is supposedly one of Harmony Korine’s favorite movies, which probably tells you everything you need to know. It was made in Brazil in the early 80s. Apparently Brazil in 1982= U.S.A. in 1975. It tells the story of a group of street kids in Sao Paolo, the main character being a Little Nell-ish tyke played by an actor whose real life mirrored the one he played in the film—he was killed in a shootout with the police in 1987, according to IMDB.
The film reminded me a bit of an American film from the mid 80s called “Bad Manners”, but listed on IMDB for some reason as “Growing Pains”. Though it was more of a black comedy, it told the story of a bunch of nasty, too-worldly-for-their-own-good reform school kids who escape and get involved in some sort of misadventures or something. I saw it a long time ago so I don’t really remember the rest.
Pixote (pronounced in the film like “pee-SHOWT”, the rough translation is “pee-wee”) begins like a documentary. It definitely takes the view that these street children are victims, born into a world immediately stacked against them.
What’s most shocking about the film is how much sexuality there is, considering the young age of many of the actors involved. Cinematically it works at conveying what an adult world these kids live in, but it makes one cringe and squirm in equal measure nonetheless.
The ending reminded me of the endings of Welcome to the Dollhouse, and The 400 Blows, two other very good films about awkward pre-adolescence (though in very different ways). Nothing really gets resolved but we see the main character going on to some other phase of their life not covered in the film we’re currently watching.
I found the characters in this film fascinating but repulsive, yet I couldn't help but feel sympathy for them. I can remember a handful of really screwed up kids I knew growing up. When I see a film like Pixote it reminds me of all those kids and I remember how much I feared and detested their world. Perhaps there was always that danger as a kid, that there was still time for you to be ruined before you became an adult. It's a hard world, baby.
