Linha de Passe

It is as authentic as Salles and Thomas can make it even if it sometimes seems that, apart from the football angle, we have seen it all before. But if you haven't, then it's a real eye-opener.

A game of good, solid passes that emotionally fail to hit the back of the net.

The curse of modern Brazilian cinema, it increasingly seems, is that every film reminds us of City of God while none measures up to it.

Salles and Thomas have done a fine job trying to show that not all Brazilian poor youth become criminals, like the more sensationalizing Brazilian films do.