Norma Bengell's "Eternamente Pagú" ("Eternally Pagú") is a good film by several means. However, it's not spectacular or much thoroughly thought through since
it leaves viewers slightly alienated knowing less about poetess and activist Patrícia Galvão (Pagú) than what they need to know about her. She was a
trailblazer in many accounts, she was part of the vanguart of artists from the Modernism alongside poet Oswald de Andrade (Antonio Fagundes) and painter
Tarsila do Amaral (Ester de Góes); she wore trousers which was considered a scandal for women to wear in the 1920's; and a staunch supporter of the
Comunist Party of Brazil spreading its message and supporting Communism outside of Brazil as well, for which she went to jail many times during her lifetime.
Those aspects of her life as an artist and activist are nicely translated to the screen but the movie falters a bit when due to its lack of more depth in her
life and some artistic license that doesn't appeal as much as we wanted.
I enjoyed the performances, specially Carla Camurati as Pagú, one of the best performances from Brazilian films and she seems as if born to play that role;
and Fagundes is a charm as Oswald, her first husband and great companion on the arts; and also the great Otávio Augusto as her second husband. Had the film
included more factual information with a more consistent script, this would have been a better film than it is. I felt lost at times, thinking that the
great result, the importance of it all was just to shown a woman ahead of her time fighting for equal rights and just provoking society with her artistry and activism when
in fact Pagú was more than that. She left several writings and works that should have a place in the film instead of the heavy focus in her arrests and time in
jail - in one of those moments her challenge to refuse shaking hands with governor Ademar de Barros is one of the most interesting and pivotal moments when she gets more
six months of jail just for doing that. So, I wanted to know more about her work, just like the play she acts when she goes from being booed to receive a standing
ovation while performing "Eh Pagú Eh" (there's a rare short documentary with that title, which I also wrote about it some years ago).
I guess that viewers who don't know anything about her this film is an important one but bear in mind that many licenses were taken; as for those who know her more
it might be disappointing or not that good. I enjoyed seeing her life story and considering the time it was made it ends up being a nice cinebiography. The time recreation
was a prime, the acting is very good and there are things to enjoy and learn with Pagú's story. I'll give it a good note and a pass since it was Norma's first film, she had
a solid career as an actress (small role here as the Communist friend of Pagú in Paris) and landed such a big project was a new challenge for her. Kudos for that. 6/10.
