he includes the character of lucinho, an overlord who controls the favela where orfeu and euridice meet and fall in love during the week of rio's carnival festival.

orfeu and lucinho, childhood friends, are seen to have taken very different paths in life with lucinho moving into gang warfare and orfeu using his musical skill and charm to try to rise out of adversity.

while the 1959 orfeu negro could be said to have glossed over brazil's societal problems this film directly engages with them and attempts to show a more genuine view of favela life.

the success of this adjustment can be seen in the fact that while the original film received most of its acclaim outside of brazil, orfeu became a box office success both within brazil and outside.