The 2024 movie Maníaco do Parque portrays the infamous case of Francisco de Assis Pereira, a Brazilian serial killer who operated in the 1990s. The police caught him in 1998 after killing 11 women and attacking 23 others. He earned his nickname due to how he left his victims — alone and naked — in Parque do Estado, a famous park in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city.
In the film, Silvero Pereira plays the killer in a deeply psychopathic manner, delivering a sense of dread every time he appears on screen. His performance, along with the cinematography, stands out as one of the film’s highlights. He shares the lead with former child actor Giovanna Grigio, who plays Elena, a journalist trying to stand out in a male-dominated workplace. The character creates a duality with the killer, showing how two brilliant minds can work in opposite ways. While this concept is strong in theory, it only makes the script more confusing and shallow in practice.
What is Real?
To better understand the film’s accuracy, we must divide the narrative into two parts: Elena’s role in the newsroom and Francisco’s dual life.
Elena and How the Media Portrays the Case
Elena is a fictional character. In reality, the case was almost entirely investigated by the police, led by Detective Sérgio Luis, who was responsible for the case. Journalists were not involved in solving it. The media, however, did its best to provide as much information as possible, with the public devouring the case with morbid fascination. It was the first time in years that a serial killer in São Paulo had caused such a public outcry, and while the movie attempts to portray this media frenzy, it doesn’t do it very well.
The addition of Elena was a creative decision by the director and writer, who wanted a female protagonist. In the director’s words:
“We chose how to tell this story, making a historical reparation for the women — the victims, the survivors of this story. To do this, we created Elena, the journalist hunting the maniac.” — Mauricio Eça, in an interview with AdoroCinema.
Everything that happens at the fictional newspaper Notícias Populares is fabricated. While the paper did exist and covered the case, it was not the primary source of information. Folha de São Paulo, one of the city’s major newspapers, was crucial in providing real-time updates and exclusive details to the public.
Maníaco do Parque and His Victims
Most of what the film shows about the killings is true. Francisco lured young women to the park by pretending to be a photographer for a famous cosmetics brand, claiming they were perfect for a photoshoot. Once in the park, his kind persona would vanish, and he would beat, rape, and kill his victims. In the film, the graphic violence is minimized, as director Mauricio Eça explained that he didn’t want to glorify the brutality.
However, the film omits certain key details, such as Francisco’s habit of first approaching his victims on São Paulo’s subway (Blue Line). The first girl he killed, Raquel Mota Rodrigues, 18, is portrayed in the movie but with a different name and story. In real life, Raquel was at Jabaquara station in January 1998 when Francisco convinced her to go with him. She called her cousin to notify her, but despite warnings, she went with him. Her body was not found until July. In the movie, a similar character is named Cristina dos Santos, but the details differ—their meeting happens on the street, and it’s already July, as indicated by World Cup imagery in the background.
The Investigation
One aspect the film doesn’t portray accurately is the police investigation. In the film, Cristina’s cousin Luciene identifies Francisco’s voice on a recording that Elena finds while investigating his roller-skating hobby. This leads the police to create a sketch of him, and Francisco flees, leaving a note for his boss next to a newspaper with his picture.
In reality, a random woman Francisco approached on the subway rejected his offer to model but received his business card, which listed the name “Jean” and a phone number. The number belonged to the motorcycle courier service where Francisco worked. Investigators traced the number, and the owner revealed that one of his employees had recently left without explanation, leaving behind a note and a newspaper—just like in the movie. This was how Francisco de Assis Pereira was identified as the Maníaco do Parque.
How the Movie Portrays Francisco
As mentioned, the director deliberately avoided making Silvero Pereira’s character the central focus, even though the film bears his name. What little we see of Francisco’s backstory is true: he came from a family living in the countryside, with present and decent parents. However, the film leaves out Francisco’s claim that he was sexually abused by a family member as a child, which he said contributed to his disturbed views on sex.
The film also introduces Francisco’s ex-girlfriend, who speaks to Elena about his aggressive behavior. This is based on real life — Francisco did have a girlfriend for about a year, and she later revealed that he was physically abusive. Although it’s not publicly known whether she spoke to the authorities at the time, it is known that he used to hit her.
The movie distorts reality in several ways and doesn’t delve deeply enough into either the killer or the journalist, leaving the audience wanting more. Despite these flaws, the film does convey the sense of fear that gripped São Paulo during Francisco’s reign of terror. While it’s not the best true crime film, it’s far from the worst. If you want a more detailed and accurate portrayal of the ”Maníaco do Parque” case, I highly recommend watching Investigação Criminal on Amazon Prime Video, which features an episode on Francisco titled Maníaco do Parque.
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The article above was edited by Isabelle Bignardi.
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