Starring Durval Bellini and Déa Selva, it follows a man who, after killing his wife on their wedding night, moves to a city where he becomes part of a love triangle.

[4][5] It was not well received on its release; Ganga Bruta was labeled "the worst film of all time" by critics[9] and resulted in "huge financial losses" for Cinédia.

In Ganga Bruta I wanted to see if I could create some Freudian effects, principally by means of the phallic symbols, like cranes, vertical camera movements, objects and composition of shots.

Randal Johnson and Robert Stam, writers of Brazilian Cinema, called the film "Mauro's masterpiece", saying that it "creatively melds the cinematic styles of expressionism and Soviet montage".

[1] Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures's Daniel Balderston, Mike Gonzalez and Ana M. Lopez wrote that the film is "magisterial", combining lyricism, naturalism and expressionism.

[13] Writing in South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography, Peter Rist praised its music, saying "Mauro's audio-visual mélange" has a "full lyrical effect".

[14] French critic Jacques Lourcelles asserted the main theme of Ganga Bruta is violence, alongside which is "an atmosphere of both carnal and cosmic eroticism".