Vargas 1

Miguel Vargas

Pushpa Mirchandani

ENC 1101

January 28th, 2024

Behind Rocinha’s Closed Doors

The Favelas aren’t really what most people think. The documentary called: “Brazil: Life

in Rio’s biggest favelas” is based around Rocinha, one of Rio’s biggest favelas located in the

south of the city. A favela is a very unique type of informal squared patterned neighborhood

located across multiple points of Brazil, most specifically the urban areas. This documentary was

created by German reporter Mathias Ebert and published in December of last year on behalf of

German company DW Documentaries, which is known for its high production of documentaries

that have led them to obtain millions of followers across various platforms. This piece serves as a

deep dive into the issues people face when living in Rocinha,

Brazil: Life in Rio’s Biggest Favela” was filmed to correct misinformation and to show

the viewer what it is like living in the favela. Ebert takes us through a deep dive by actually

living for a period of time in the favela himself and pointing out what is true and what is wrong

about the narratives the favelas maintain. With around more than two hundred thousand people

living in Rocinha, multiple families have been forced to live under the same roof.

Thanks to Ebert’s deep dive to uncover the real situation people go through at the favelas,

it is safe to say that the intended audience is middle-aged people at an international level. Around

the world, favelas have been known to be dangerous places for people to live in, yet the

documentary aims to disprove that and create a new narrative for them. Middle-aged people are
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the perfect demographic for their heavy interest in social issues and not that heavy usage of the

internet. This documentary also is aimed to reach an international demographic and spread

information around the globe.

It is never mentioned why Rocinha was picked between the many other favelas located in

Brazil, yet through the documentary, Ebert, is seen mentioning that Rocinha is one of the biggest

favelas in Brazil containing over two hundred thousand citizens”. This leads the viewer to

believe that the size of the favela was a determining factor when choosing the one. Another

reason why Ebert opted for Rocinha over others was its location. Being located in the city of Rio,

Rocinha is arguably one of if not the most known of the favelas, making it a very eye-catching

location for tourists. On top of that, Ebert chose to have a deep dive into the lives of multiple

individuals throughout the film. This was intended to provide the public with a daily routine

from multiple perspectives and different opinions on how they feel living there.

The documentary features all of the three distinct rhetorical strategies. It implements the

usage of credibility, given that the reporter is not only talking about said problems but is also

experiencing them which provides the speaker credibility that backs up his claims. Aside from

that the reporter can also be seen and heard with a really solid tone and style that leads the

viewer to assume what he's talking about. Some of the illustrations of ethos in this film would be

the first person point of view, not much in a literal way, but speaking wise, the reporter is

expressing everything that going through his mind throughout the documentary. Another clear

example of credibility is the interview performed on the gang member inside his own home. It

provides aspects of its process of recruitment, what it's like to work with a gang, and more

especially why he decided to join it in the first place. He like many others was interested at first
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because of the money it offers. The interviewed member explicitly said that he took the offer to

provide to his family at around the twenty-seventh-minute mark.

While ethos is a really solid part of the documentary, emotional appeal also creates a

distinguished impact and plays an important role on the viewer. Throughout the video, the

viewer can experience many cases where it creates an emotional impact by trying to create a sort

of emotional narrative. Emotional appeal can be identified when the documentary shows the

inside of the houses in Rocinha and provides an example of citizens living their normal lives,

working, and even the experiences of the children who attend public schools funded by the

government that are not up-to-date and qualified to today's standards and are not a pleasant

experience for them to go through.

Aside from the usage of credibility and emotional appeal, the usage of evidence is very

much more pronounced throughout the documentary. Facts, cause and effect and expert

testimonies are some of the many examples of logos in this film. These are used to provide

effective evidence to the public and lead the viewer to logical reasoning.

Although individual usage of rhetorical strategies can be found in the documentary, it is

ideal to claim that they can be seen working together and some of them even depend on the other

rhetorical strategy to express their ideas as much as possible. One of the many examples

provided is the fact that without effective evidence the credibility of the speaker, in this case, the

reporter, can be affected leading it to be less believable or weakened. The working of the three

rhetorical strategies can also be spotted throughout the documentary when the reporter joins a

gang member behind the walls of his own home. The reporter interviews the gang member and

creates the perfect example of evidence, emotional appeal, and credibility working together.

Evidence can be clearly identified, emotional appeal can be presented thanks to the usage of
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imagery and filming every inch of Rocinha, and finally, credibility is represented mostly by the

reporter and the situation he gets involved in.

The starting point for this documentary comes from widespread misunderstandings and

stereotypical views surrounding favelas, especially Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro. This documentary

is a response to the need to set the record straight about the real-life experiences in the favelas.

Many people see favelas as dangerous and full of drugs but that is just the modified truth and this

documentary aims to challenge and correct these misrepresentations. The exigency here is the

desire to provide a more accurate and nuanced picture of Rocinha and create a new narrative

about them that is closer to the actual truth.

Major challenges being experienced as part of ongoing documentaries include emotional

and stereotypical sturdiness as people find it quite hard if not change at all from whatever

perception they have of a given category. A prevalent global opinion is that which seriously

communicates the message that these communities are unsafe and poorer and it becomes difficult

for people to afford a more refined and perturbed perspective. In addition, the subject is to be

convinced why that specific favela was elected and thus it may be difficult to center the

documentary on Rocinha. The filmmakers are put on the spot of trying to present an all-

encompassing view on Rocinha, indicating its differences compared to other favelas while not

much making a characterization towards favelas in Brazil. Additionally, there may be limits on

resource availability potential biases and then maintaining equitable representation while

pointing out people's difficulties.

In the coming months, the documentary aims to reach and teach a specific group of

middle-aged people around the world. By sharing up close Ebert experiences in a personal

journey the film aims changing quick judgments and reconsider what they might already have
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engraved in their brains about such places like favelas. With real stories, and using emotions in

their favor, the documentary is not only simply out to set out pass information but to provoke

deep feelings in its viewers. The feeling is that it shall provoke a speedy change in the ever way

of looking at favelas by the people. It also wants to create a moment where viewers stop and

think about how a change in the favelas can be created.

Ultimately, this film aims to change the perception of favelas in the world over time. It

intends to create a lasting impact in the communities by blending relatable stories, emotional

connection and factual information. The documentary attempts a change of preconceived ideas

by the juxtaposition of dramatic facts, mixing emotional stories and powerful pictures, and

giving credible information of the daily life of people who live in Rocinha. The hope being that

this more nuanced understanding will give way to empathy, support for social causes and

ultimately dispel long standing misperceptions. The legacy of the documentary extends further

than its original audience in the longer term, having contributed to a broader debate about favelas

that exists in public consciousness today.

"Life in Rio's Largest Favela: A Comprehensive Look at Rocinha" provides a deep

exploration of the community, dispelling common misconceptions and challenging prevailing

beliefs. Through adeptly addressing obstacles and constraints, the documentary not only seeks to

alter existing perspectives but also strives for a lasting shift in the global perception of favelas,

emphasizing that they are often not fully understood or accurately portrayed. With its thoughtful

and empathetic storytelling approach, the film endeavors to deeply impact societal attitudes by

prompting audiences to reconsider their views and fostering greater understanding and

compassion toward these frequently marginalized communities going forward.