It’s hard to formulate an organized thought on this film due to its messy nature. It is, however, one of the few films I’ve ever had to do research on just to make sure it was not a documentary. I was shocked on how realistic Pedro Costa’s portrayal was on the lives of those residents within the harsh ghettos of Lisbon in Portugal. Several stories and lives are shared in this film, but the center of it all lies in Vanda Duarte’s drug addiction. All this film does is play out the everyday struggles these people endure within their poverty-stricken lives. This is not a great film, but it is a must-see film. It is one thing to know how cruel a drug addict’s life is, but it is another thing to see it play out in such a realistic form.