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Winner of the 2007 Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

If the chasm between the 1% of the most wealthy in the United States and the rest of us continues to grow, what might America look like?

This fascinating, droll and horrifying documentary about San Paolo, Brazil, and endemic corruption in the Brazilian government provides a possible answer -- and it it isn't pretty (even if the film is cinematically a high quality job).

There's a morbid gripping power to Manda Bala from its first panning shot of the condo rooftops of Sao Paolo and their helipads. Why do so many residential buildings have helicopter landing pads? So the wealthy can commute via the air to avoid kidnappings from the displaced underclass.

Many of the key characters in Manda Bala are interviewed with almost comically stern translators by their sides, thus lending a further surreal air to the content.

The filmmakers do an incredible job of weaving together the infamous daily kidnappings of wealthy residents of Sao Paolo (and the ritualistic cutting off or their ears to send to ransom payers) with the multi-billion dollar corrupt scheme of a Northern Brazilian politician, who to this day is free.

So much is revealed in such an intriguing narrative and editing job, starting with the mysterious "scandal" surrounding the world's largest frog film.

One interesting fact worthy of note is that the villainous politician controls all the media in his home province, thus keeping voters from knowing the truth about his corruption. Anybody doubt the power of the media?

This is a documentary that is part Fellini, part Tarntino, part Errol Morris, and all true.

It is made with enough distance to make one both intrigued and repulsed by the state of society -- and there's a wry undertone that basks in many of the colorful characters that we encounter.

From an online reviewer:

If Tarantino made documentaries, this is what they'd look like. Beautifully lensed, perfectly edited, and laced throughout with a killer soundtrack of brazillian tunes, this movie grabs you from the first moment and captivates till the last frame. Rather than beating you over the head with it's message, or concocting a bogus narrative to tell a specific story, instead, Manda Bala interweaves numerous characters and their various roles in the drama of Sao Paulo's infamous daily kidnappings. These interwoven tales are so expertly layered that the filmmakers intended conclusions appear innescapable. It's a simply brillant piece of documentary work that everyone should see.

Description from NetFlix:

Documentarian Jason Kohn aims his lens at Brazil, widely considered one of the world's most corrupt and violent nations, to capture the ways in which people make a living -- and try to stay alive. Subjects include a businessman who invests in bulletproofing his cars; a politician who runs a suspiciously lucrative frog farm; and a plastic surgeon who specializes in the reconstruction of mutilated ears. In 2007, this film won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS