An architect (Walter Marins) deals with some ghosts from his past as a subversive figure during the military regime, at the same time he faces a
new drama when his daughter mysteriously disappears and the same chief of police (Armando Bógus) who arrested him years earlier now comes back to
help him out. In "Paula - The Story of a Subversive", the not so distant 1968 past, where he helped a female revolutionary student (Carina Cooper),
clashes with intensity to the new adjusted life he has during the early days of amnesty after the repressive and tough years of military regime.
It's a quite manageable film, very easy to follow through both periods (one where the teacher/architect fell in love with Paula, and also
his relationship with a bored borgeouise wife at the same time he helps his ex-wife in finding their daughter), and it's a very accurate film when
it comes to present the then fresh historical periods. The acting is so-and-so (the leading man is very bland at times), but Armando Bógus was
really effective and makes things quite interesting.
The problems: while it makes a real portrayal of late 1960's and onwards with each character personal idealisations and feelings about
the moment they were living, it's a very disenchanted and pessimistic film that seems to favor the status quo of the regime, and barely deals about
Paula's cause in fighting against it. It's a little hard to accept how a teacher with a fine career with jeopardize his family and career to
provide some small work for the oppositors of the regime, not to mention their moments together aren't so convincing enough to make us believe they
love each other. Add to the list of problems the excessive sex scenes of him and his whiny wife, which only shows us a disconnected couple where they
never agree on anything. Following the investigation about the daughter's disappearance is more interesting and more compelling to watch.
It's not a bad movie, though. Its certainly worth seeing to understand Brazil's reality of the period, there's some realism as well but it's
the kind of story where you look back at the main character and wonder why he allowed himself to follow such passion and follow a political conviction
he wasn't even so sure would work or that they could win. It's like the film is almost a critical view on students activism and the revolutionary
cause, and makes the rulers of the period look like the good guys. I might be wrong about that view but it's the impression that I've got. 6/10.
