Sólo Dios sabe

I saw this film last night at the L.A. Latino International Film Festival. It was wonderful, beautifully created. I highly recommend this film to all. The film takes you across 3 countries, U.S., Mexico and Brazil. It is about fate and destiny and finding your identity. A young Brazillian girl does just that when she meets a Mexican wandering, lonely journalist outside a Tijuana night club. At first I wondered what the two can have in common and why they met. However, as the story unfolds one begins to see how fate has indeed brought them together. The movie is sensual, as the beautiful Alice Braga is captivating and real. The movie also touches on some Latin stereotypes which I found to be very cute and funny, as did the rest of the audience. The beginning of the film is carefree and free-spirited as the leading lady is and yet towards the end it begins to evolve into something deeper and complex. As an added plus, the movie has some great music. Julietta Venegas and Oto. For those who like their music like I do you will really enjoy this. If you have never heard of them, trust me it was chosen very well for this film and I know you will like it. So bottom line I give this movie a 10! I recommend it to everyone. If you are just looking for a feel good movie that is all fluff, well this isn't for you (sch as the lady who commented above) But if you would like an interesting movie that is real and thought provoking then you will like this a lot. Oh, and about the religious part. What they did reveal, about it was just enough. I don't think the Director would have had to gone into great detail in explaining the belief system, in fact I am glad he didn't or it would have taken the movie in another tangent. Everyone knows that we Latino's/Latina's have a foundation in faith and various religious beliefs, depending on one's country of origin. It was weaved in perfectly throughout the end of the movie. Can't wait to buy my copy of this movie!!!

I had the opportunity to see this movie at a personal screening, and I thought it was terrific. I didn't know much about the film going in, but I found myself very quickly drawn into the narrative and the characters. The film was shot very well, and used a lot of interesting perspectives and angles (along with some great natural backdrops).

I also felt special seeing this movie before it's released - when it's released you should give it a look. It's surprising and moving.

Plus I didn't realize until later where I'd seen the actress before . . . she was the young woman from City of God that the narrator had a crush on! City of God was one of my all-time favorite movies . . .

What I wouldn't do to give this film a re-write. Extra disappointing due to the great beginning, Solo Dios Sabe degenerates into a mess of superstitious bull after the halfway point and ends on a note so ludicrous, soppy and melodramatic I couldn't believe I was watching the same movie I started with. The film had numerous elements in its favor, such as chemistry between Diego Luna and Alice Braga so palpable I thought the screen would start sparking, a great soundtrack, and beautiful locations. Instead of ending with the heavy-handed religious mumbo jumbo, the film should have kept the focus on being a frothy road movie with maybe some undertones about fate and superstition vs. logic peppered through. I understand the director's entire intent with the film was to make it about religion, but the fact is that it just didn't work, and he threw away so much great stuff from the beginning by doing so.

Solo Dios Sabe is, at its heart, a journey that explores love, romance, spirituality, and fate. The two main characters, a Brazilian-born art teacher from San Diego and a journalist from Mexico City, travel the same road from Tijuana to Mexico City to Sao Paolo, but their fates and spirituality go in different directions, intersecting for a brief moment in the middle of the film.

Alice Braga (as the art teacher) and Diego Luna (as the journalist) are revelations in the way they reveal the complex emotions that result from their journey. The chemistry between them is palpable. It is a joy to watch their journey. The cinematography and music brilliantly set the changing moods and tones of the movie. There are many subtleties throughout the movie that enrich the story, but might be missed on first viewing. The director, Carlos Bolado, is to be commended for delivering such a rich slice of the lives of the two mesmerizing lead characters.

The beginning of the movie is the most interesting part and takes place in Mexico.

The ending of this movie is a cliché, a "disease of the month" type of movie. The moment the leading characters get to Brazil, they begin to get bogged down with problems, and the movie gets to be more and more of a downer.

The movie shows the outer rituals of the condomble religion, but doesn't explain the belief systems and the philosophy behind this combination of African religions and Catholicism. They should have done more research.

It shows scenes of condomble ceremonies, and of an island in Brazil where apparently everyone practices African religions.

Watching this movie is like watching 2 different movies. I recommended with reservations, as the ending is too melodramatic, like a Brazilian TV novela.