Once Upon a Time in Rio (2008): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2008, Once Upon a Time in Rio is a drama film directed by Breno Silveira, running about 117 minutes.

What it’s about. Situated just above the awe-inspiring Ipanema beach in Rio is the Cantagalo slum. Every day, floods of Cantagalo residents make their way down the mountain, only to disappear into their surroundings as part of the invisible working-class that cleans apartments, works in restaurants, and sells food along the scenic, sun-drenched shores. Young Dé (Thiago Martins) is just such a man. Dé lives with his mother Bernadette (Cyria Coentro) in a cramped Cantagalo apartment, selling hot dogs on the beach in order to make the rent. His brother Beto was killed when Dé was just a young boy, and his adopted brother Carlão (Rocco Pitanga) has been jailed for a robbery that he didn't commit. One day, while working on the beach, Dé meets Nina (Vitória Frate). Nina is the only child of a successful lawyer named Evandro (Paulo César Grande), who's none to happy to discover that his daughter is dating a member of the lower class. How...

Who’s in it. Once Upon a Time in Rio stars Thiago Martins as Dé, Vitória Frate as Nina, Cyria Coentro as Bernadete and Rocco Pitanga as Carlão, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.5/10, Once Upon a Time in Rio has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Once Upon a Time in Rio page.

If you liked it. Fans of Once Upon a Time in Rio tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.