De menor (Underage)

Brazil 2013, 77 min, English subtitles

The young lawyer Helena (Rita batata) just began her first job at the court in Santos. as a court-appointed lawyer, she represents underage perpetrators from underprivileged families and is often the only person to stand up for these young people. She is deeply fond of her younger brother Caio (Giovanni Gallo) and has taken over responsibility for him since their parents’ deaths. When Caio commits a crime the ground under Helena’s feet becomes shaky. The perceptive feature film debut by director Caru Alves de Souza examines the tears in the social fabric. The selection competing for 2013 in the Festival do Rio was so strong that the jury chose two winning films for the first time: “De menor” (Underage) shares the main prize with “O lobo atrás da porta” (A Wolf at the Door).