Lower City

Machado nods to Jules And Jim in its story of two lifelong friends who let a woman both bring them closer and push them apart, and he deals with the persistent racial tensions by playing the white Moura against the black Ramos. But really, Lower City is about heat, sweat, and loss of control. Machado, who worked behind the scenes on such major Brazilian productions as Central Station and Madame Satã, saturates his directorial debut with rich, golden color, defining it with close, handheld shots that accentuate the feeling of skin on skin.

Before long, Lower City falls into the exploitation trap of making its characters suffer for their lust, but even as Machado is urging viewers to cluck their tongues over all this handsomely shot sordidness, he's crafting a fairly subtle study of how the poor get undone by the lure of easy money. Moura robs the occasional convenience store, Ramos steps into a boxing ring from time to time, and Braga uses her body as an ATM. All three have convinced themselves that they're getting paid on their own terms, but they're only drunk on a cocktail of adrenaline, sex, and punishment.