Brainstorm

The film opens with Mr. Wilson reading a letter from his son, Neto, in which Neto declares his contempt for his father. The letter triggers a flashback that begins to explain Neto's fraught relationship with his parents, Meire and Wilson.

The flashback reveals Neto as a São Paulo teenager with a strained bond to both parents. He navigates a difficult home environment and a growing sense of alienation from Meire and Wilson.

One day Neto leaves home with his friend Lobo and travels to Santos without telling his parents. They check into an apartment, where they swim and eat and begin testing boundaries of their independence.

Alone in downtown, Neto begs for money and is helped by a woman named Leninha. She takes him home to have lunch with friends, and Neto and Leninha have sex after the meal.

That night Neto is arrested for graffiti and his parents come to collect him at the police station. The incident marks the first major law trouble that triggers concern about his behavior.

The following day, Neto's father finds a marijuana cigarette in Neto's jacket. His sister urges the parents to send him to a mental institution, escalating the family's anxiety about his wellbeing.

Wilson tricks Neto and has him admitted to a hospital without proper examination. Neto is sedated and examined by Dr. Cintra, who prescribes treatment as the family watches in confusion.

In the hospital Neto meets Ceará, a hyperactive patient, and Rogério, an inject-able drug user. He learns the ward is decaying and uncaring, and Rogério warns that escape would be dangerous, while Cintra discusses possible admissions to maintain subsidies.

Neto's parents and sister visit, but the doctor deceitfully claims Neto will need months of treatment. Neto pleads to leave with his family, but they refuse to take him out of the hospital.

Days later Neto tries to escape and is subjected to electroshock treatment as punishment. The harsh regime underscores how little control he has over his circumstances.

One day Neto's father visits and tells him that he and Meire miss him. Wilson then takes Neto away from the hospital and back home.

Back home, Neto is asked whether to return to school or begin selling. He chooses work, but faces social friction as a friend's mother forbids him from seeing Leninha, whom he later learns is married.

To unwind, Neto attends a late-night party, mixes Coca-Cola and cachaça, and ends up kissing his friend Bel in a bathroom. Drunk and out of control, he damages the club and police escort him to another psychiatric hospital.

In the second hospital Neto angers a nurse named Ivan after reporting harm from staff. He later mirrors the risk by inciting inmate Biu to set a fire to a stack of drugs, earning solitary confinement for his actions.

After a period of solitary, Neto writes a letter to his father and is handed it during a family visit. A hair cut refusal leads to another solitary confinement until nurses rescue him. The film ends with Wilson crying as he and Neto sit side-by-side on a curb.