The adventures of Otalia, a strangely innocent young Brazilian prostitute who has just arrived in Salvador, Bahia. Though her belongings are stolen from her shortly after arrival, Otalia swiftly meets up with a group of charming and helpful friends.
France
Brazil
Brazil
France
Bahia
The characters live in the Brazilian province of Bahia, which cannot be as fun-filled in real life as it is in this film, or we'd all be Bahians. Camus introduces a gallery of colorful characters, led by a carefree young ladies' man named Martim and a winsome young prostitute, Otalia. The supporting characters, who are on hand for most of the scenes and are routinely lined up in the background, include a street vendor, a madam, a mystical Mother Earth figure, a "street saint" with clown makeup, and no end of prostitutes, shopkeepers, blustering police chiefs and musicians.
This could have been the stuff of a great movie, calling on the experience of both Camus, a Frenchman who makes…
