Change Your Image
smancini
Reviews
Depois Daquele Baile (2005)
good cast on a touching story
Three of the best Brazilian actors of their generation help make this film an enjoyable way to spend two hours. Although Dóris (Irene Ravache) is well into her fifties or early sixties she is still an attractive woman, made more so by her constant good humor. Also a great cook, she decides to make some money and get company by providing meals to neighbors. Two of her most faithful clients are Freitas (Lima Duarte) and Otávio (Marco Caruso). Freitas is more outgoing and reckless, while Otávio plays a careful and shy gentleman, but both fall equally for Dóris and try their best to win her. The film discusses issues such as: what is the right balance between living in the past and running away from it; can friendship survive rivalry in love and can one regret earlier choices and still find happiness. It was good to see a Brazilian film not shot in Rio for a change. Belo Horizonte is a big town that still keeps a provincial feeling about it, and there are some beautiful scenes shot on its surrounding mountains.
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
another good premise gone bad
I had great expectations out of this film, both because of the great talent of the main actresses and because I love films about relationships of all kinds. Nevertheless it left me disappointed and with an unpleasant feeling of injustice. It begins with a good premise - kids of lesbian mothers looking for their biological dad. The problem is the characters are never allowed to show themselves as true human beings - so, despite the great cast, you're never convinced you're seeing a real family on screen. And while some very natural conflicts arising from the situation are there, none of them is well explored or portrayed. But here is what really annoyed me and left me with the sense of injustice - the way the biological father was treated. OK, maybe he's not the most considerate or loving man on earth, but that is no reason for him to be treated the way he is. The kids went looking for him in the first place, and he seems to be honestly trying to play a father role to them, although he is not at all experienced in this area. But when one of the mothers gets jealous and the other decides to have some "appreciation" by playing with the sexual attraction he feels for her, the poor guy is left alone to face all the bad consequences - Julianne's character is obviously forgiven in the end, and the family life seems to go back to normal, but the father is never given a similar chance. I am an independent female and I think it's great that women have so many opportunities today, including the possibility of creating a family almost completely on their own, but I believe this film makes a great mistake in the way it simply disregards the feelings of the biological father.
Casa da Mãe Joana (2008)
great cast, poor results
Globo, the most powerful TV in Brazil, produces tolerably good soap operas, if one doesn't mind too much the far-fetched story lines. But when it comes to their attempts at making movies, the results are almost always disappointing, as the final product is usually neither here nor there - not a good lighthearted TV program and definitely not a great film. This film is no exception, and not even the all-star cast can do much with such a poor screenplay. Many of the characters seem like poor adaptations from successful TV programs, such as Pedro Cardoso who seems to have come directly from filming the TV series a Grande Família into this film, and Agildo Ribeiro, whose character is very similar to characters he's been playing forever on TV. I'm glad I didn't spend any money on this but watched it on TV instead.
O Bem Amado (2010)
a bit over the top but still funny
This is a remake of a very popular soap opera broadcast in the 70's, which I was too young to see. Nevertheless, i'm sure it was superior in quality, otherwise how to explain that even four decades later some of the characters' lines and jokes are still part of our daily expressions in Brazil? This lukewarm film version alone would never render such everlasting popularity. The problem very likely comes from adapting a soap opera which lasted several months into a two-hour feature - one can't help feeling things are a bit crammed and rushed. The cast, full of famous stars from the most powerful Brazilian TV channel, is mostly efficient and tries to pull this through. Don't expect character development at all - it's meant to be full of stereotypes, such as the Latin American corrupt politician, local drunkard/beggar jokes, provincial puritan ladies, etc. There are some funny jokes and scenes, particularly those with Jose Wilker, beautiful shots of northeast Brazil and a reasonably good soundtrack, but all in all I expected more. And I found that showing some real footage of political events in Brazil didn't really match the light tone this comedy should have had.
Vida de Menina (2003)
a girl growing up in a decadent Brazilian mining town...
Based on the journals of teenager Alicia Brant (aka Helena Morley), who lived in Diamantina, Brazil, after the once rich diamond veins were practically exhausted in the late 19th century. Her father's insistence on looking for the precious stone caused his family to live in perpetual poverty. The film is a sweet, if not too profound, piece about coming of age, family relationships and the importance of being true to one's self. "Vida de Menina" provides some beautiful shots of historic Diamantina (recently declared a UNESCO world heritage site) and surroundings, and nice acting especially by the protagonist (Ludmila Dayer) and Daniela Escobar.