A Partilha

Based on a hit Brazilian play the screenplay also co-written by Miguel Falabella is wonderful. If you can get a hold of this movie it's really worthwhile. Gloria Pires, Lilia Cabral, Andrea Beltrao and Paloma Duarte interact as real sisters do and it's great fun watching them try to steal scenes from one another. The interesting thing about this film is that it was filmed with all master shots and it's incredible how well it works in a comedy. The performances truly shine in this film which is funny and often touching. This is a film that is universally funny and appealing and I'm surprised it didn't get wider exposure

After the death of their mother, four sisters reunite to sell her apartment and share their inheritance. The conservative and repressed Selma (Glória Pires) that is married to a rigid military misses her mother and has just acknowledge that her fifteen years old daughter is pregnant of a spiritual leader. The other three sisters are only interested in receiving their share: Regina (Andrea Beltrão) is an independent woman that has brief love affairs; Lúcia (Lilia Cabral) lives in Paris with her French husband and they run a butchery but her son hates her; Laura (Paloma Duarte) is lesbian and wants to move to Germany to present her thesis about smile. While together, revelations are disclosed and wounds are opened and closed by the sisters.

"A Partilha" is a shallow silliness, with a dysfunctional family that is a sample of the world in accordance with the "Globo Broadcast" standard. The characters are insecure, hysterical and unstable; use drugs to "calm down"; have problems with fidelity; are lesbian; capable of cheating the own sister, abandon the son, or give total freedom to a fifteen year old daughter… but in the corny end, everything is nostalgic. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Partilha" ("The Sharing")

I would recommend this movie mainly to people who would like to know what Brazilian soap operas are like, but are not interested in following the 200+ episodes, often badly dubbed. The storyline is weak, the situations are all-around superficial. What starts out as a dull situation tries to develop in some kind of feel-good movie.

The cast often over-acts, and most topics dealt with are basically only taboo within the average Brazilian society. Being directed by Daniel Filho, it comes as no surprise that this movie resembles so much those low-level soap operas we'd rather not have associated with Brazil's image...

The screenplay, based in the theatrical version, is very well-adapted. The idea of family nostalgical moments, associated with the variety of members personalities and perspectives make the movie very interesting and connected with the current society. Gloria Pires shines, as usual.

A Partilha is a great film, bringing out great performances from four amazing actresses, in special Andréa Beltrão and Lilia Cabral. It was refreshing to see such a well written story in such a familiar environment. If you're in the mood for great laughs, this is the one.