A Dog's Will

In Fernando Meirelles's 2000 film "A Dog's Will," João Grilo and Chicó, two scheming underdogs from Brazil's rural northeast, exploit the credulity of a small town's inhabitants. Their mischievous antics earn them a peculiar fate: upon death, they must face a tribunal of Christ, the Devil, and the Virgin Mary to secure their place in heaven. Meirelles's vision is a sardonic and whimsical exploration of sin, salvation, and the human spirit's capacity for both mischief and redemption.