Lúcio Flávio: The Passenger of Agony

In a racist media society, the green‑eyed Lúcio Flávio became a sensation. Adapted from the book by José Louzeiro and released during the intense period of censorship by the military regime, Babenco captured the zeitgeist by making a film structured around the concept of torture and “death squads” by security forces but without featuring the military. Babenco was allowed to release the film with cuts on the condition that a closing card should state that whatever bad cops there might be in the story, they all certainly had to deal with the swift justice system. That card was used in the original theatrical release and later removed for home video and TV, but has been reinstated for the uncut 4K restoration as a historical artefact. Tough and riveting.

-Kleber Mendonça Filho, Curator