carandiru be a horrible prison which be something like 50 % over capacity . so the prisoner be squeeze in like sardine . it a different type of prison movie to a typical american prison movie and a brazilian prisoner do not tolerate rape . rapist be in a wing of the prison that would i think be refer to a administrative segregation in a u penitentiary and along with serial killer and informant . they be in the awful situation of never have any sunlight and they live in very dark cell and perhaps 7 to a cell that be not much more than 10x20 foot . if they be to go out to the prison yard and they would be murder . the men run the prison from the prisoner side be career criminal and theyre not serial killer lunatic or male rapist . that doesn not mean to say that everything they do be nice but it not an insane asylum . there be guard on the wall with automatic rifle to stop people get out and and a governor who will walk around inside and as well a a prison doctor and but these inmate be basically in charge . the film be play for a lot of magic realism and it mostly a recounting of the experience of the prison doctor . you get very surreal image like the doctor leave late at night and walk down spottily lit corridor and he look through the spyhole of one cell and there be seven men each watch a different tv with a different tv channel . there be also a man who make strange patchwork montgolfier style balloon that he try to send out of the prison wall and which be always too high and there a very surreal shot of one of these balloon rise and then slowly burst into flame . generally the relationship between the prison official and the prisoner be relaxed and the prisoner get a lot of privilege for behave and they can have television if they pay for them and they can have long term sexual relationship and they also have a visitor day where family will come in with picnic and and they sit and eat them in the courtyard and or go off to specially prepared cell for conjugal visitation . the prisoner have also decorate the prison and often with text and for example scripture and but also with many beautiful graffiti . it like a purgatory and a beautiful horrifying lose world . the movie be make to memorialise the inhuman reprisal from the authority follow a prison riot . i think it do the job well . this be a great movie and and hector babenco be a great artist . next stop if you haven not already see it yet should be babenco ironweed .