Foreign film to be shown Friday at UT Martin

The Messenger 11.19.08

“Tropa de Elite” will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday in Watkins Auditorium as part of the foreign film series sponsored by the Department of Modern Foreign Languages on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Set in 1997, “Tropa de Elite” follows in the footsteps of the critically-acclaimed “City of God” (2002) in its semi-fictional portrayal of the problems inherent to keeping order in the violent and poverty-stricken “favelas” or slums of Rio de Janeiro.
In the slums, male life expectancy doesn’t reach 20 years and the drug dealers are kings. The elite State Police Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) is charged with controlling the drug cartel, but greed among their forces leads to police corruption. This makes it difficult to discern right from wrong and justice from revenge. BOPE Captain Nascimento (Wagner Moura) faces a personal crisis. In addition to the pressures of fighting within war zones, the captain must find and train his own replacement, hoping one day to escape the violence.
Two of the force’s newest recruits, Neto and Matias, are good friends. One is quick on the trigger and the other refuses to compromise his ideals. Together they are the perfect replacement. Alone they may not have what it takes to survive.
The film is rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and drug content. It will be shown in its original foreign language with English subtitles.
The event is free and open to the public.

Print