Rough Gang

Humberto Mauro's 1933 Brazilian film follows a man who kills his wife on their wedding night. Acquitted, he moves to the country, where his interest in a friend's fiancée starts a new conflict. The film passes no moral judgement. Desire, violence and guilt are treated on the same plane; the narrative does not explain its characters and leaves its close in an unexpected place. Mauro came from the silent period and made this in the years of transition to sound; the use of sound is limited and the narrative is built largely through image. It drew no attention on release and was counted years later among the founding works of Brazilian cinema. Who it's for: those curious about early Brazilian cinema. Who it's not for: viewers expecting modern storytelling; the film follows the convention of its period and builds its women as passive.