7 Prisoners Trailer: A Harrowing Look At Human Trafficking

Streaming services are always looking for fresh content, and thankfully that means they help finance and distribute foreign and low-budget movies that otherwise might not have reached wide audiences. Streaming giant Netflix has released a number of international films, including Alfonso Cuarón's Oscar-winning "Roma," and now they're adding another potential awards darling to their service. 

Netflix has released the trailer for "7 Prisoners," a Brazilian film about a young man who tries to get work to feed his family and instead finds himself sucked into the world of human trafficking. 

The trailer for "7 Prisoners" follows 18-year-old Mateus (Christian Malheiros), who hopes to provide a better life for his working-class family in a rural area. He accepts a new job in the bustling city of São Paolo, where he is shuttled in with a handful of other teenage boys from his town. They have their identity cards taken by a vicious scrapyard taskmaster, Luca (Rodrigo Santoro), who threatens to kill them if they try to escape. 

"7 Prisoners" was helmed by "Socrates" director Alexandre Moratto, who has gotten a reputation for his socially-conscious, deeply personal style of filmmaking. He co-wrote the screenplay with Thayná Mantesso. Oscar-nominated filmmakers Fernando Merielles ("City of God") and Ramin Bahrani ("The White Tiger") produced the film, along with Moratto, Andrea Barata Ribeiro, and Bel Berlinck. 

In addition to Malheiros and Santoro, the cast includes Bruno Rocha, Vitor Julian, Lucas Oranmian, Cecília Homem de Mello, and Dirce Thomaz.

"7 Prisoners" made its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. It was recognized by two of the official collateral awards of the festival, receiving the Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award for Best Foreign Film and an honorable mention from the Fondazione.

Here's the official synopsis: 

18-year-old Mateus (Christian Malheiros) hopes to provide a better life for his working-class family in the countryside. Accepting a new job in São Paolo, he is shuttled into the city with a handful of other teenage boys from his town, unaware of what awaits them: exhausting work in a scrapyard and their identity cards seized by a vicious taskmaster and exploiter, Luca (Rodrigo Santoro), who threatens them with the unthinkable if they try to escape.

But, as Mateus learns, even the boss has a boss. And if he wants to find a way out, what will he have to become

"7 Prisoners" will make its global debut in select theaters and on Netflix in November 2021.