This is the type of documentary that leaves you with many moral questions about young love. The plot revolves around a 15-year-old girl named Eloa Cristina Pimentel and her 22-year-old ex-boyfriend named Lindemberg Alves, aka Liso. Liso happened to be friends with Eloa’s brother, and after gaining his trust, he used that friendship as a way to get close and pursue Eloa. Right from the start, Eloa’s mother wasn’t really supportive of the relationship because of the age gap. However, under strict guidance, she agreed to let the two date. All was fine until the couple broke up, and this did not go down well with Lindemberg. One day, he slapped Eloa while she was on her way to school. All this was aggravated when he kidnapped her and her friends and took them hostage. Negotiations followed with GATE coming into the picture. He, one by one, did release the hostages except Eloa. According to him, he would kill her and himself. The authorities were being nice to him to make him realize that he is a good guy who shouldn’t kill Eloa. In between, they also sent her friend Nayara back again to Lindemberg to understand what exactly is happening. This decision was criticized by everyone. But even after no such big change came into the situation, Eloa was held captive for 100 hours. The extensive media coverage was the medium between the kidnapper and the rest of the world.
Many things could have gone right, but didn’t. A clear failure on the part of the authorities was visible. What was heartbreaking was to watch Eloa’s parents and brothers come on record to tell us their side of the story. They broke down while recollecting what happened 17 years ago. To see one’s own daughter in so much pain is difficult for the entire family. Even today, they live with this pain, but no visible cure as such. Towards the end, we are told that Nayara was given compensation; however, the family of Eloa received nothing. A young girl lost so much. All because of failure on the part of those who could have gained a better hold of the situation.
Through enactment, archived video footage, and interviews with people involved closely, the makers bring an excellent presentation of what took place. It feels as if all this took place recently. Through this, we also get to see Eloa. The pacing is even, which gives us enough time and mental space to grasp what had happened. This was by far the biggest strength of the documentary. Those 100 hours have been well made into a plot, which gave us a great glimpse. Not only that, but even Eloa and her family’s brief background is shown to us as well. We are also shown a diary entry that she wrote to herself and her small goals. It is disheartening to see a young soul’s ambitions being left unanswered. But other than that, the story is a very sad one. It leaves you frustrated, and you, too, feel a deep sense of injustice done to Eloa and her family.
Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Choudhuri
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times