In 1980, Fernando Ramos Da Silva was chosen by director Hector Babenco to star in his cinematic masterpiece: Pixote, the Law of the Weakest. As the film gained worldwide fame, Fernando began to believe that his fortune had changed for the better and that he could permanently leave his poverty behind and pursue a better life through acting. His real-life handicaps however would not allow him to escape his past: he was poor and illiterate. Soon he realized that playing the role in Pixote was only possible because he was, in real-life, matching the characteristics of the character he was portraying in the film (he was playing himself). This film captures the persisting poverty and injustice that dictate the destiny of many Pixotes and is based on the events of his life as recounted in Pixote, Law of the Strongest by Brazilian journalist Loureiro and Pixote No More by Cida Venancio Da Silva (Fernando's young widow).