The experience with the teenagers of Playtime was one of the most exciting of my many years of filming. The courage with which they told of the suffering they had experienced with their families, together with their ability to articulate these issues, left the team in awe. The theater students from the groups we worked with (Nos do Morro, Vidigal, Vozes do Cantagalo, and Arteiros da Cidade de Deus) showed dedication and discipline worthy of seasoned professionals. They fearlessly faced that hard text from the beginning of the 20th century and at the same time managed to give the film a lightness as with a lot of humor they were able to laugh at the past and draw a parallel with their experiences of today.