In 1973, after Pinochet's coup, Chile was one of the most dangerous places in the world. The only apparently safe place was the embassies. The film is based on real accounts by João Carlos Bona Garcia who spent 42 days inside the Embassy in these conditions “of not knowing if he would be alive the next day” and survived.
“Nobody Leaves Alive” by André Ristum is shot in beautiful but also distancing black and white. Looking at the Venice line-up, this seems to be a trend this year among the maestros of cinema. The film is inspired by true events that took place in the last century in the “Colonia” hospital in Brazil. Whoever didn’t fit the standards of society, or their family’s perception of it, was locked away, tortured, and killed. There were altogether more than 60,000 victims. Hope dies last, and some of the inmates don’t give up the fight. We’re reminded of film classics such as “One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest” or “Alcatraz”.
In this Brazilian mockumentary, Paulo, Manuel, Eric and Alex all have a shared dream: to make a blockbuster action movie. The challenge is immense, as it requires bringing their grandiose ideas down to Earth. Each is equally passionate and narrow-minded about what they do, and in spite of a predilection for getting into trouble, nothing will stop them from pursuing fame, success, and the money they lack for the project in one hilarious misadventure after another.