Madame Sata

A partial biography of Jono Francisco dos Santos, a black Brazilian of slave descent who was a criminal (indeed a killer), but also a nightclub singer and drag queen, writer-director Karim AVnouz's Madame Satã concentrates on dos Santos' life in 1930s Lapa, a red-light district in Rio de Janeiro, where he maintained a riotously undisciplined existence with a prostitute, her young daughter, and a cross-dressing pal. Also on hand from time to time is Renatinho, a handsome but unscrupulous fellow who becomes his on-and-off lover after first trying to rob him following a roll in the sack. After a stint in jail, Jono emerges with a determination to follow his fantasy of unconventional stardom, despite the pervasive bigotry that he has to contend with, but his efforts take a tragic turn. The story is told with a strange mixture of gritty toughness and glittering decadence, and Lazaro Ramos gives a fearlessly unbridled performance as the raging, ribald protagonist. Still, while the result has undeniable impact, the fractured, elliptical style is problematic, and viewers may find the lack of information on the last 34 years of its subject's life a rather serious failing. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)