: Because it is an older Brazilian production, it lacks the required five professional reviews to generate an official critic score.

In this light, Saneamento Básico is the opposite of “rotten” as a quality score. It’s a fresh, intelligent comedy. But it’s about rot – physical, political, and moral.

The story follows the residents of Linha Cristal, a small village in southern Brazil, who need a septic tank to solve their local sewage problem. After finding that the city hall has no budget for sanitation but has a specifically for making a movie, they decide to produce a low-budget science fiction film about a "sewer monster" to secure the funds for their construction project. Critical and Public Reception

The fact that this film, a modest comedy about sewage, features such a constellation of future international stars only adds to its charm and significance in Brazilian film history.

First, let’s clarify the film itself. Directed by Jorge Furtado (known for O Homem Que Copiava / The Man Who Copied ), Saneamento Básico, o Filme is a comedy-drama set in the small fictional town of Água Suja (“Dirty Water”), in the Serra Gaúcha region of southern Brazil.