La vida invisible de Eurídice Gusmão

A tale of two sisters and the mental trauma they endure as they're unfairly separated due to the conservative and misogynistic mindsets washed into the naive and ignorant; mindsets that have been perpetuated throughout time via cultures, governments and religions established to control. Predominantly set in 1950's Rio and reminiscent of the great films of that time, beautiful performances convey the oppression and struggle so many had to fight against, and still do - bringing the invisible and unseen to your attention.

What a great movie it is! So beautiful in every sense. It's a very touching journey of two sisters who got separated and had to live separately without knowing each other's existence for a very very long time. Their emotional journey, the struggle and the pain they endure have been filmed so well. The representation of the patriarchy structure of society where the females struggle to live their dreams and how they put their everything for the family, has been shown very nicely. The journey through Brazil of 50's is very beautiful. A must watch!

This movie has many good things in it: the sisters are very well cast and the acting in general is inspired. Locations, costumes and colors are absolutely on point. I just didn't really enjoy the plot and the script... I understand that this is meant to be a representation of repressive society, but the characters don't act as normal people would and I find it unnerving since this was meant to be a dramatic/realistic movie.

How much did our mothers and grandmothers suffer from the patriarchy? How much did they have to hide, supress and ignore to protect us from past abuses?

Karim Ainouz tells, in his emotional tropical melodrama, stories from a time when a woman was expected to be subordinate in every single aspect of her life. Guida and Eurídice, apart from each other, lived outrageous trajectories, and, unfortunately, with expressive scars that lasted until today. The lies of extremally conservative parents, the superb and envy of Eurídice's husband, the suffering in maternity, the crucial solidarity between desperate women - all of it built a strong indignation and, at last, everybody cries in the end: a real tragic one. Fernanda Montenegro is an acting gem.

With technical maestry, Karim's team guides the movie in a raw way. The cinematography of Hélène Louvart is outstanding capturing old, green and dirty Rio de Janeiro. Karim's directing choices are really touching and carry a whole bunch of social issues with flow. The cello and piano from Benedikt Schiefer are as unsettling as the character's obstacles.

I hope that when women (especially older ones) watch this movie, they identify themselves and keep fighting against the male authoritarianism, fighting for freedom. I hope that when men watch this movie, they identify in themselves traces of sexism to keep changing, to keep evolving and encouraging other ones to be better.

It's definitely an incredible and important movie that answers the questions above with some of the multiple possibilites, multiple realities that exist. It's a must see

Greetings again from the darkness. Masterful storytelling when combined with expert filmmaking is a treasure to be appreciated and enjoyed, even if the story is not so pleasant. Such is the case with this gem from writer-director Karim Ainouz, who adapted the screenplay with Murilo Hauser and Ines Bortagaray from the novel "The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao" by Martha Bathala. Based in Rio de Janiero, the film blends the vibrant colors of the area with the traditional and restrictive Latin American family expectations of the 1950's.

The story spans 5 or 6 decades, and when we first meet sisters Euridice and Guida, it's clear they share a tight emotional bond that goes deeper than blood. Though their personalities differ greatly, they are both ahead of their time and out of step with the conventions of the era. Euridice (a strong performance by Carol Duarte) longs for independence and aspires to be a concert pianist after a hoped-for Conservatory in Vienna, while Guida (a powerhouse Julia Stockler) is a dreamer seeking true love, and whose party girl ways must be kept hidden from their conservative father. Both young ladies are spirited, yet respectful.

Their lives are forever altered when Guida runs off to Greece with her sailor lover. As is too often the case with young dreamers, she returns home once her spontaneous choices prove to be poor judgment. Her father rejects his pregnant daughter since, in his eyes, she has disgraced the family. The parents mislead Guida about her sister's whereabouts, so Guida assumes Euridice is off at conservatory fulfilling her dreams. This sets Guida off on her own solitary path.

In actuality, Euridice has married and experienced one of the worst ever wedding nights, featuring what is likely cinema's most unsexy bathroom lovemaking scene. There is an element of horror films to this segment of the film, as the sisters are living their worst nightmares, while being separated from each other ... unable to communicate. The male-dominated Latin culture and family traditions prevent their mother from 'disobeying' the father's order, so the cruel lie continues as the sisters unknowingly live their lives within the same town. There is even one excruciatingly painful-to-watch scene that finds them in the same restaurant at the same time, yet oblivious to the presence of the other.

Each woman's inner-strength pushes them forward. Guida (now Gisele) befriends a wise former prostitute Filomena (an excellent Barbara Santos) who becomes her mentor in poverty. Euridice tries to make the best of her situation while keeping her dream alive. Mostly what we have is a tragic story without one specific tragedy - other than the daughter spurned by her father. There are so many moments of pain and frustration, with undelivered mail being among the worst. The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Helene Louvart, and it reminds us that 'life happens', and it's not all love and Bach. This is an emotional and heart-breaking story, and devotees of The Lifetime Channel will likely be disappointed in the ending. For me, I have no qualms about the emotional wringer the film puts viewers through - even after the opening scene foreshadowing.