Lower City review

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Bezzy-mates Brazilian boys Deco (Lázaro Ramos) and Naldinho (Wagner Moura) nail trashy, Shakira-style hooker Karinna (Alice Braga) on their humble cargo boat. After a stabby altercation at a cock-fight, Deco nurses the bed-bound Naldinho while taking full advantage of Karinna's... goodwill.

First-timer Sérgio Machado cooks up a spicy lust triangle but he never really burrows to the heart of the key tease: is there something unspoken pulsing beneath Naldinho and Deco's pally surface, and is Karinna a catalyst to draw out the ultimate Brazilian taboo?

Braga is terrific - tempestuous, sweat-lashed and ablaze with coiled libido. But the overall effect is too oppressive, and while there's a hint of tension in the knowledge that Deco is struggling to avoid shady underworld mates, Machado meanders away from any kind of pay-off.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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