Justiça plot
In 'Justiça' Maria Ramos gives a picture of the Brazilian legal system. She follows the three most important people involved in a criminal trial: a judge, a pro bono lawyer and a young suspect. All three, in their own way, turn out to be the prisoners of a bureaucratic legal system. The venue is Rio de Janeiro, a metropolis with five million inhabitants, where the difference between rich and poor is large. This social inequality, which is typical of all Brazilian society, is the cause of much crime. In her documentary, director Ramos shows that the perpetrators of violence are mostly young men, without any future perspective. Their taciturn behavior and tormented looks convey a sense of impotence. They are the representatives of a new generation growing up in poverty and doomed to a life dictated by the prevailing legal order.