Prison. 7 Prisoners is a horror story about modern slavery and moral choice. About how poverty, lack of rights, corruption can destroy people not only physically, but spiritually.
Among the producers of the film stands out the name of Fernando Meirelles - director of one of the most sensational and acutely social Brazilian films "City of God". At one time, this tape was accused by many of excessive cruelty and immorality, in a conscious desire to shock the Western viewer with the horrors of the life of modern Latin slums.
"7 prisoners", although not so provocative in its content, but also in many ways echoes the specified tape. Only instead of the criminal favelas of Rio de Janeiro, this time on the screen flash shots of illegal slave labor and underground factories of another million-plus city – São Paulo.
A sick society, afflicted by deep social stratification, desperate poverty and the highest level of corruption, forms perverted “social elevators” when a person, in order to rise to a higher social level, is invited to step over all the norms of law and morality.
Whether the main character will do this or find the strength to resist temptation is the main intrigue of the plot, which, however, is not limited to this.
The director also clearly blames society for the fact that it put such a difficult choice before the young hero. After all, thanks to moral decline and contempt for the law on the part of some, others get the opportunity to live in prosperity, comfort and feel successful and “respected” people. This is the main tragedy of both the history shown in the film and the whole world around us.
The painting by Alexander Moratto is completely not entertaining and devoid of special effects, but at the same time leaving after viewing a lot of impressions. Actors here seem to live, not play, and a huge city, with empty eye sockets of windows, skyscrapers indifferent to everything, high deaf fences and iron gates, everything seems to be a giant prison, from which so few people will be able to get out. And the price of being finally free is your own life.
9 out of 10