Drained
A predatory Brazilian pawn-shop owner turns desperate commerce into a grotesque theater of control, only to be destabilized by his own compulsions.
Overview
A pawn shop owner finds his life spiraling out of control when a perfect butt and a plumbing disaster collide in his shop.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- sardonic
- grotesque
- abrasive
- arthouse movie night
- dark comedy night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lourenço's obsession with acquiring the perfect rump gives the film an unusually concrete and grotesque representation of desire.
The pawn shop proprietor buys from desperate locals not only for profit but also to manipulate and assert power.
The backed-up toilet and the shop's degrading social encounters turn mundane surroundings into sources of discomfort and absurdity.
The pursuit of the perfect rump structures Lourenço's increasingly uncontrolled personal and commercial life.
Films like Drained, and why
The King of Comedy
darkly comic portrait of a morally corrosive outsider using social power games to control others
Taxidermia
grotesque humor, abrasive protagonist, and claustrophobic contemporary alienation
The Lobster
offbeat character study combining deadpan comedy, sexual discomfort, and disordered desire
Movie Details
- Director
- Heitor Dhalia
- Release Date
- 2006-09-27
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (158)
Cast
- Selton Mello
- Paula Braun
- Alice Braga
- Lourenço Mutarelli
- Fabiana Gugli
- Sílvia Lourenço
- Milhem Cortaz
- Xico Sá
- Zemanuel Piñero
- Flávio Bauraqui
Common questions
- What is Drained about?
- A predatory Brazilian pawn-shop owner turns desperate commerce into a grotesque theater of control, only to be destabilized by his own compulsions.
- What is Drained like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Drained as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Drained violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Drained.
- Which films are like Drained?
- Films with a similar feel include The King of Comedy, Taxidermia, and The Lobster.
- How long is Drained?
- Drained runs 112 minutes.
