Through the eyes of a doctor who worked in São Paulo's infamous House of Detention for 12 years, Carandiru tells stories of crime, revenge, love and friendship, culminating in the fateful 1992 massacre that left 111 people dead. Hector Babenco, whose direction won him a nomination for the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, makes use of striking images to tell each story that makes up Carandiru Station, the book by Dr. Drauzio Varella that spent 168 weeks on the bestseller list in Brazil and is one of the most successful titles in Brazil's history. Gathering together the doctor's stories of Latin America's largest prison, Babenco composes a sweeping and varied tapestry, full of humor and pathos, but always driven by a humanistic sense and a belief in redemption.