Pixote

The Brazilian Pixote so closely resembles the films of Luis Buñuel that one is almost shocked to see writer/director Hector Babenco's name on the credits. This is hardly the only shock in this near-hallucinatory cinematic experience. The title character, played by Fernando Ramos da Silva, has been abandoned by his parents and is scrounging for a living on the streets. Pixote survives by becoming a drug-dealer, pimp and murderer...and he's only ten years old. One of the first films to address the plight of Rio de Janeiro's street kids, Pixote combines stark realism with symbolic imagery. The film is based on José Louzeiro's novel Infancia dos Martos.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide