Yo, Tú, Ellos

This film portrays the life of the Brazilian poor in the arid interior, and that life is hard. You take your pleasures where and when you can. Regina Case gives a vivid performance as the polyamorous wife-lover; she is no more "ugly" than Frances McDormand, Maggie Smith or a host of other actresses who don't do Vogue covers. Gilberto Gil's music is very evocative, it's like an actor in the story.

Finally, I want to praise Lima Duarte's performance as the husband; he knows life is passing him by and death is approaching, so he doesn't let Darlene's sexual habits bother him. It is a very expressive star turn in the Philippe Noiret tradition.

"Eu Tu Eles" tells the story of Regina Case. A headstrong peasant woman in dusty rural Brasil who needs the support of 3 men to fulfill the traditional role of a husband. Each of the men help her attain different areas of fulfillment - a economic provider, a soulmate, and a lustful sexual partner.

Its a simple story and you do feel that the movie drags on much more than necessary as it shows how people are mutually dependant. The soundtrack of the movie is excellent, and I think what makes it work is the background - the pallete of the story set in rural Brasil. Directory Andrucha Waddington and cinematographer Brendo Silveira used prominent reds, browns, and ochres, fading into deep shadows to give a dusky, lusty beauty to the landscape. Its a very raw beauty - the clouds, the trees are prominent, and stagnant which go on to enhance the location of the story and the lives of its main protagonists.

While some have commented that Regina Case, the female lead, is ugly, that is not remotely so because of an inner (and very natural) radiance, happiness and joy that Regina projects in a fine performance that warms the heart and lifts the spirits. It, along with spectacular photography, other simple but very "real" performances, and a joyous soundtrack easily lifts the movie to a "10" rating. That such a liberated and brilliant movie should come out of Roman Catholic Brazil is surprising -- a woman who manages to satisfy three husbands with only a little "condemnation" registered by others. The movie also gives us a glimpse into how life somehow happily goes on in an unimaginably harsh environment. It makes for an engrossing and rewarding, yet very understated movie. No Hollywood bells and whistles here, thank goodness. It is real.

Forget the Washington Post Critics. Probably done by someone who lacks many kinds of empathy to truly understands the complexity inside and around the life of a women in most poor areas in Brazil. Regina Case is outstanding in this role. Any women who has faced any difficult situation and suffered due to a patriarchal and unequal society will understand the pace of the film and the subtle behavior of this woman in finding ways to reduce the burden of being a woman and a mother.

This film provides a new meditation on female attractiveness, beauty, and sexuality. It provides new situations, and new reactions to situations. It provides new meditations on happiness, and on the roads to happiness. There are even little, possibly unintended, meditations on the slavery inherent in the cash economy. I'll watch this film at least a few more times, and get something new out of it every time.

One of the delights of watching foreign films is that distance, like time, provides a filtering effect. Only the very best of the foreign cinema makes its way to our shores. Therefore, it is not surprising that the cinematography, the score, the acting are all first class. But even by that elevated standard this film is special.