Drauzio Varella, a doctor, is treating prisoners for HIV in Carandiru Penitentiary, an overpopulated prison in Sāo Paulo, Brazil. While doing so, Dr. Varella hears their unique and tragic stories—including how they got there.

No two inmates’ stories are the same in the crowded prison of Héctor Babenco’s shocking social-realist drama. Shot at the site of the 1992 Carandiru massacre, this provocative film unchains its detained characters from the news story—showing their lives in full color and with unfettered pathos.