Situated just above the awe-inspiring Ipanema beach in Rio is the Cantagalo slum. Every day, floods of Cantagalo residents make their way down the mountain, only to disappear into their surroundings as part of the invisible working-class that cleans apartments, works in restaurants, and sells food along the scenic, sun-drenched shores. Young Dé (Thiago Martins) is just such a man. Dé lives with his mother Bernadette (Cyria Coentro) in a cramped Cantagalo apartment, selling hot dogs on the beach in order to make the rent. His brother Beto was killed when Dé was just a young boy, and his adopted brother Carlão (Rocco Pitanga) has been jailed for a robbery that he didn't commit. One day, while working on the beach, Dé meets Nina (Vitória Frate). Nina is the only child of a successful lawyer named Evandro (Paulo César Grande), who's none to happy to discover that his daughter is dating a member of the lower class. How...
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🔍 Search on JustWatch →Once Upon a Time in Rio is a very strong film rated 7.5/10. Great direction and performances make this one well worth adding to your watchlist.
A high rating speaks for itself — this film found its audience and didn't let them down. Trust the collective taste.
A 2008 film from an era before CGI overload, with real performances that still hit hard. Best for: any evening when you want quality cinema with no compromises.
— MovieFinder Editorial
Thiago Martins
Dé
Vitória Frate
Nina
Rocco Pitanga
Carlão
Paulo César Grande
Evandro
Cyria Coentro
Bernadete
Luana Schneider
Cacau
Fernando Brito
Beto
Rodrigo Costa
Dé Pequeno
Augusto Zacchi
Alvaro
Kikito Junqueira
Café Frio
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