Mathiza

On October 12, 1994 — Children’s Day in Brazil — Ramires smoked his first crack rock. He was only 14 years old. He spent nearly half of his life going in and out of prison, committed and was the victim of countless acts of violence. From a very early age, he already felt different from other people, and fear has always been a faithful companion — one that still shows up to this day. From school bullying to the beatings he received from his father as a young boy, and from the police as an adult, Ramires tells the story of his inverted life, his lost loves, and what it means to be an outsider in a society that discards and punishes any deviation from normality.