Set in São Paulo, the story follows Lourenço (played masterfully by Selton Mello
But the "perv" element crystallizes with two characters: The first is a man who tries to sell a gun. The second is a sexually frustrated waitress from the diner next door. Lourenço engineers a disgusting, transactional sexual arrangement with this young woman, paying her for sex while staring not at her, but through her—fixated on the drain or his own reflection. The film spirals into a grotesque Oedipal tragedy when Lourenço becomes obsessed with a teenage girl’s virginity, culminating in a final shot that is arguably the most disturbing visual metaphor in Brazilian cinema: a close-up of a drain swallowing the evidence of his perversion. Drained - O Cheiro do Ralo -2006 - Brazil- perv...
The film is anchored by three powerful, grotesque obsessions that symbolize Lourenço’s internal decay: Set in São Paulo, the story follows Lourenço
The Putrid Charm of Decadence: A Review of "Drained" (Portuguese title: O Cheiro do Ralo ), directed by Heitor Dhalia The film spirals into a grotesque Oedipal tragedy
To discuss Drained is to discuss Selton Mello. Known in Brazil for comedic and dramatic roles, Mello transformed his body for this role. He looks emaciated, greasy, and hollow. His eyes lack the twinkle of humanity; they have the flat calculation of a pawnbroker’s loupe.
After a botched attempt to murder the waitress’s jealous boyfriend and a psychotic break, Lourenço ends up shot. As he lies dying on his bathroom floor, the camera does something extraordinary. It slowly zooms into the drain of the title. As his blood mixes with the stagnant water, the drain begins to slurp . The sound is orgasmic. The film ends not with a scream, but with a gurgle.