Latitude Zero

Lena owns a forgotten bar next to a highway where the trucks zip by but rarely stop. She is eight months pregnant and has been abandoned by her former lover, Colonel Mattos, of the São Paulo police. One day, she meets Vilela, a former policeman wanted for a crime he committed in São Paulo. Colonel Mattos was Vilela's superior, and his presence is continually felt by the pair. Two further elements add texture to the plot - the inhospitable landscape and the new baby's crying, which slowly makes life unbearable for the couple. Based on an original stage play by Fernando Bonassi, the film delves into the souls of two Brazilians isolated in one of the country's nameless reaches. A love story and a metaphor taken to extremes: a glimpse at an unequal society which excludes many of its citizens, pushing them into violent adventures of love and death.

Directed by Toni Venturi, Latitude Zero leans on a strong ensemble — Debora Duboc, Claudio Jaborandy — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2001.