Favela Rising

The premise of this vibrant if occasionally overreaching documentary is that music can become a catalyst for social change. The film's focal point is former drug trafficker Anderson Sá, who becomes an activist in Rio de Janeiro's most dangerous neighborhood, a slum where innocent citizens are routinely victimized, both by corrupt police and narco-terrorist youth gangs. Shaken out of his dangerous lifestyle by the murders of his family and many friends, Sá becomes passionate about music—specifically the “Afro-reggae” blend of hip-hop, soul, and reggae—and tries to interest at-risk members of his community in joining the positive-thinking movement he organizes. Filmmakers Matt Mochary and Jeff Zimbalist fastidiously document the harrowing conditions in the “favela” (a ramshackle settlement for squatters), but the material on Sá seems vaguely incomplete, and they sometimes attach too much significance to his efforts—which have mixed results. Still, this is well worth seeing for its provocative depiction of Rio's sordid underbelly. Recommended. (E. Hulse)