In Prime Video’s crime-drama film The Park Maniac, we see one of the most dangerous criminals of 1990s Brazil, motoboy Francisco, who was accused of attacking 23 women and killing 10 of them in Parque do Estado, in São Paulo. Elena, a rookie journalist, takes up the case to forward her career and ends up exposing the killer’s story and the heights of his psychopathy, leaving residents fearful while Francisco roams free.
The film has a runtime of 103 minutes.
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The Park Maniac Movie Cast
Silvero Pereira, Giovanna Grigio, Marco Pigossi, Xamã, Mel Lisboa, Bruno Garcia, Bruna Mascarenhas, Christian Malheiros, Augusto Madeira, Gustavo Bispo, Nicolas Lee, Matheus Rozendo, Shaolin, Alana Oliveira, Alexandre Ogata, Gui Giannetto, Ricardo Baptista, Zeca Mallembah, Léo Garcez, Diego Avelino, Silmara Deon, Mayara Bertolini, Francisco Gaspar, André Luiz, Isaac Meddeiros, Arianne Botelho, Ingrid Gaigher, Gustavo Braunstein
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The Park Maniac 2024 Director
Maurício Eça
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The Park Maniac 2024 Movie Writer
L.G. Bayão
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Native Title
Maníaco do Parque
The Park Maniac Review
Focusing on one of the most dangerous serial killers in Brazil during the 1990s, The Park Maniac attempts to put women forward in a thrilling tale of murder and mayhem. Unfortunately, the biography film is a bit all over the place, trying to paint a picture of women’s power and Elena solving a complicated murder just by existing versus showcasing a killer’s tale without making a big deal of him. That attempt is commendable, but the film in turn becomes something other than arresting and for big chunks of the runtime, it feels boring and disjointed as the storyline doesn’t know what it wants to focus on.
Elena’s storyline is half-baked and the film’s inability to really focus on whether or not it wants to showcase the bad side of journalism is a chore and a half to watch. In the midst of this, it also showcases our protagonist to be a star, someone who can do the impossible before literally anyone else somehow but doesn’t deliver it with the oomph that you might expect such an exceptionally talented journalist to have. In short, Elena is a boring character, trying to come out of the shadow of her father, but having nothing to show for it. Sure, she is quick-witted, but as the protagonist, she offers very little intrigue or interest.
On that note, the film surprisingly showcases all of the victims to be rather dumb and naive, following Francisco’s footsteps without a second’s thought, as if hypnotised by his charms which we don’t see. Truly, it’s an enigma to watch because the man simply having the most average conversation seems to work as a lure for the victims and it’s a little insulting watching this unfold in a film where Elena’s character simultaneously exists. The pacing is also another problem that I found to be distracting; although it tries to be a fast-paced thriller, it stumbles its way through scenes and really leaves us to suffer the consequences.
On the other hand, serial killer Francisco de Assis Pereira is given very little fanfare. Although his crimes are brutal, we don’t see his charms nor do we see who he is or go too deep into his mind. There is some generic conversation surrounding psychopathy and Ted Bundy is mentioned once, but that’s as far as we go with that, leaving us to not understand his character and, in turn, not be afraid of him. You’d expect to be afraid of this dangerous serial killer who murdered 10 people but alas, that’s not what this is. However, I will say that Silvero Pereira is really good and his performance is chilling.
Final Thoughts
The Park Maniac is neither thrilling nor interesting and surprisingly leaves you bored after a while. It doesn’t address all the things that you’d expect a film such as this one to address and leaves you questioning rather than providing answers. However, the biggest problem is that it’s just not interesting and the investigative path doesn’t make us take note or give us pause. Things are too convenient and the details clash with each other such that you are left confused and bored.