Raphael, a poverty-stricken Native American lives with his family in the middle of a garbage dump. They are just one piece of the human trash making up a disheveled community. With no job prospects, an alcohol problem, and a criminal past, Raphael stumbles upon an opportunity designed to snare desperate men. He agrees to give his life in a snuff film for $50,000, with the hope of leaving his family a way out of the ghetto. With a week left to live, Raphael reconnects with his wife and kids, and celebrates what fortunes he has in a miserable world.

It’s no surprise that The Brave was shelved in the US, and scarcely released elsewhere. It’s a very bleak story with no chance for a happy ending. Johnny Depp stars in his directorial debut, and his character is difficult to relate to. Other characters seem to have wandered in from a David Lynch set: a mumbling office guy, a mentally-challenged man in a giant hamster wheel, and Marlon Brando as the wheelchair-bound, philosophical snuff film producer. The film would be a real tear-jerker if it didn’t start at such a low point; the mood is consistently depressing and lacking dynamics. Some critics complain of the abrupt ending, but I found it preferable to a graphic conclusion.

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