O pornógrafo

Things aren’t easy for Miguel Metralha. Boredom and his affinity for the easy life have made him switch roles, from run-of-the-mill journalist to editor of porno mags. But Metralha quickly discovers that the world of pin-ups and sex bombs brings its own ups and downs. Surrounded by underworld figures, he finds himself dropped into a meta-narrative resembling the American crime films he - and the filmmakers, evidently - admires.
Taking as its departure point the nihilistic, Godardian style of The Red Light Bandit, the sole feature by João Callegaro is a traditional genre piece transformed into a carnival of mockery and the grotesque. Attempting to craft a myth for the Brazilian gangster by skillfully inverting film noir tendencies, The Pornographer is an unjustly forgotten landmark from the energetic first period of Boca do Lixo production.