José Padilha
O Mecanismo

O Mecanismo.

What consumes the mind of Marco Ruffo, a retired Brazilian police officer, though still young. The mechanism that enables all evil and is driven by evil itself, particularly corruption in Brazil, specifically involving Petrobrasil, known to friends as Petrobras. Ruffo's great dilemma is: can The Mechanism be defeated? Not always does the answer seem the same.

José Padilha, already director of Tropa De Elite and Narcos, offers us a dramatic/political series with few episodes (forty minutes each) with deliberately extended timelines. Enjoyable in its cinematography, locations (Rio, Curitiba, São Paulo among the most featured cities), and substance. Inspired by the real Brazilian federal police operation Lava Jato, which started in 2014 and is still ongoing, initially a "simple" money laundering investigation. But evolved into a corruption investigation concerning the oil company Petrobras. A dizzying bribery scheme, a criminal system that moved billions of dollars. And created a massive scandal in Brazil.

Ruffo, his "disciple" Verena Cardoni, and the rest of the police team set out to bring justice and clarity to the matter. Not without obstacles. But with the conviction that there is something truly significant underneath it all. Many moves will need to be made, anticipating will have to be one of the team's prerogatives. Despite this, with the political and governmental heavyweights around the corner, everything could prove more challenging.

Little banality and few frills, lots of concreteness. O Mecanismo is bare enough to be considered appreciable, different from the usual. The risk of boredom may concern those who do not love numbers, bureaucracy, and politics. But for others, there shouldn't be any problems.