Director Jose Padiha Calls Out Critics

Insults have been loosed over the release of Jose Padiha’s Brazilian police drama Elite Squad! We get the scoop from the fabled caves of yahoo:

Brazilian director Jose Padilha, winner of the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival for his movie “Elite Squad,” hit back at critics on Monday with all the force of its antihero, police captain Nascimento. “Elite Squad” (Tropa de Elite) tells the story of a police special forces unit that uses brutal tactics, including torture and executions, to combat drug gangs in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Critics in Berlin were divided over the film, with some praising it as a powerful story of the moral compromises police accept in order to survive and others saying it glorified their often ruthless methods. Variety called it a “recruitment film for fascist thugs.” “The Variety critic was particularly stupid,” Padilha told a news conference in Rio de Janeiro. “To call the film fascist is to ignore what the word fascist means.” “You only need to look in the dictionary. You have to be stupid, not to know what fascist is.”

The reception at the film festival, where it won the Golden Bear award, mirrored a controversy in Brazil when it was released late last year. While many saw it as an expose of police violence, a number of others lauded their tactics and said that was the best way to deal with criminals.

I think this rules. When a director defends their work against critics, I am all for it. It is the job of critics to give their honest opinion to their readership, everyone has different tastes so it will not be uncommon for some to dislike most any film. The people involved should also have a platform in which to respond to criticism, expound on their vision and make a case for their art.

Where Jose Padiha may have crossed the line is where he gets personal and calls the Variety critic stupid. You can certainly argue against any statement that they have made and are free to do so, but to call the person stupid may not be the best decision…. especially since they work for Variety.

Calling someone stupid is easy enough to do when you are impassioned about a subject, and people do certainly say things they immediately regret. i do not think Jose should be judged too harshly and I respect him more for speaking out in an inappropriate manner, than I would if he said nothing at all. One thing I can assure you of is that I now want to see this movie. Let’s see what kind of trouble these fascist pigs get into!

((UPDATE!! Apparently Yahoo mis-translated the Director’s words and no insults were thrown. Please read the comments section for updates from out Brazilian friends!!))