Macabre by Marcos Prado

Serra dos Órgãos, Brazil. If that seemed like a fun destination on Tripadvisor, think again! Murders take place in these magnificent mountains, gruesome murders with a touch of necrophilia… The locals are quick to blame the two black boys of the village and they want to see them hang. Military police officer Teo (Renato Goés) grew up around these parts and is sent back to investigate the case, but his past quickly gets in the way. All the while the killing spree rages on… The shadow of Bolsanero looms large over MACABRO, which resolutely aims for the underbelly of Brazilian society and its Holy Trinity of Family, Church and the BOPE. That’s right, the military police’s so-called “Death Squad” that has been active in the favelas of Rio de Janeira for years now, taking many lives in its urban warfare. Considering he produced mega-hit ELITE SQUAD, it’s not entirely surprising director Marcos Prado opted for a protagonist who’s part of this deadly unit. It’s a grim kick in the gut, a kind of Latin American SE7EN, but with a striking visual beauty both stylistically and in setting, that ironically plunges the film even deeper into darkness.