Anjos do Sol was one of those movies I was hesitant to watch -- another film on child prostitution, another Trade or Human Trafficking? I've seen enough of child exploitation films.
However, I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot was less trite than I had feared, the ending especially heartfelt and surprising as the audience perceives that Maria has absorbed her previous experiences negatively. (Duh. How can child prostitution be positive?) The ending gives a powerful message on how child prostitution severely affects the minds of its victims and urges people to become aware of its continuing affects.
Although the plot is brilliant from some angles and not so much from others, the score and cinematography are what truly makes the movie a masterpiece. The music, sometimes repetitious, incites emotions. The cinematography enhances the story by allowing the viewers to interact with the characters.
Two instances of beautiful cinematography must be mentioned: ---SPOILER ALERT--- 1] After Maria's first night at the club, the camera peeks around the corner of her doorway to reveal her crying in the bed. The camera moves at such a slow angle that the viewers feel as though they too are in the club, peeking around the doorway at something they should not see. 2] When Saraiva ties Inez to the jeep, the camera circles Inez's face from the profiles to the front. As the camera moves and Inez approaches imminent doom (Saraiva starts the jeep that will drag her), Inez's face transforms from a cool countenance to a wrinkled, despairing expression. Just as the camera stops, the jeep starts. ---END---
The acting was atrocious at times because many of the actresses were young and inexperienced, including the main actress Fernanda Carvalho, who had no previous acting experience. However, Carvalho's portrayal of Maria was so simple and natural that I felt her childish inexperience and honesty added reality to the film ... which is more that I can say for the antagonists, who were uninspiring and one-dimensional.
Overall, the performances were so-so, but the emotional cinematography and score demands a viewing of the film.
However, I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot was less trite than I had feared, the ending especially heartfelt and surprising as the audience perceives that Maria has absorbed her previous experiences negatively. (Duh. How can child prostitution be positive?) The ending gives a powerful message on how child prostitution severely affects the minds of its victims and urges people to become aware of its continuing affects.
Although the plot is brilliant from some angles and not so much from others, the score and cinematography are what truly makes the movie a masterpiece. The music, sometimes repetitious, incites emotions. The cinematography enhances the story by allowing the viewers to interact with the characters.
Two instances of beautiful cinematography must be mentioned: ---SPOILER ALERT--- 1] After Maria's first night at the club, the camera peeks around the corner of her doorway to reveal her crying in the bed. The camera moves at such a slow angle that the viewers feel as though they too are in the club, peeking around the doorway at something they should not see. 2] When Saraiva ties Inez to the jeep, the camera circles Inez's face from the profiles to the front. As the camera moves and Inez approaches imminent doom (Saraiva starts the jeep that will drag her), Inez's face transforms from a cool countenance to a wrinkled, despairing expression. Just as the camera stops, the jeep starts. ---END---
The acting was atrocious at times because many of the actresses were young and inexperienced, including the main actress Fernanda Carvalho, who had no previous acting experience. However, Carvalho's portrayal of Maria was so simple and natural that I felt her childish inexperience and honesty added reality to the film ... which is more that I can say for the antagonists, who were uninspiring and one-dimensional.
Overall, the performances were so-so, but the emotional cinematography and score demands a viewing of the film.