Cinéma, aspirines et vautours

I just last night saw "Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus" (called "Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures" in English). It's an amazing story of a man who flees Nazi Germany and moves to Brazil, where he shows movies to the inhabitants of a destitute village in the northeast of the country and also gives them aspirin, thereby bringing them a new hope.

I like how the movie not only develops the characters, but also shows world events affecting everyone's lives, as Brazil declares war on Germany and it becomes hard for the man to sell the German-produced aspirin. Looking very amateur, the movie has a particularly realistic feeling; the desert setting might even make you feel like you're sweating as the characters do. But overall, the movie's a wonderful look at life and how we make decisions about our directions. As they say in one scene: "With this, you could sell the Devil a Bible!" All in all, a very good movie.

The road movie is such a hallowed genre; I always think of Easy Rider, Harry and Tonto, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Thelma and Louise, and many more. You can escape from something, or go toward something, and I think Ranulpho and Johann are doing both. Ranulpho is the grouchy, sensual Sancho Panza to Johann's cool, resourceful Quixote; they work very well together--excellent casting.

If the story is less than gripping (we don't feel the tension surrounding Johann's status as an enemy alien, and the war seems comically far away, despite the radio broadcasts), the direction is often very accomplished, and the locales are brought to life with great care. I want to see what Gomes can do in the future.

Movie industry in Brazil has gone through many different phases and in all of them the northeast of the country has been a great source for film productions due to its social, cultural and natural conditions. So, throughout Brazilian movie industry, these northeast movies have been over-exposed. Avoiding clichés and stereotypes is not an easy task; and that is what Marcelo Gomes did quite successfully on his debut. The story itself is not that attractive, but the subtle way by which Marcelo conducts the scenes leads us to think of humanistic matters without committing the common mistake in the movie industry of giving us answers. There is a sensible balance: The grouchy and restless Ranulpho reminds us of the plight Brazilians from that region face and the absurdity of living in that condition; The smooth and adventurous Johann reiterates the adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that despite the circumstances life should be lived. It sounds dumb when put into words, but images don not speak, they imply, and the characters are busy enough living, they don't philosophize to come to the conclusions for you. It is all an undeniable achievement for Brazilian movie industry.

"Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus" is Brazil's official entry for the 2007 Academy Awards Foreign Language Film competition.

It will probably not win, for it is too arty for the Oscars taste (it won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival), but it definitely deserves a nomination.

Beyond its apparent simplicity, you will discover an overwhelming tale of friendship, with very decent performances (specially by João Miguel) and exquisite cinematography.

A must see for everyone who appreciates good cinema!

P.s: I also recommend another new Brazilian gem - O Ano em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias (2006)

Watching this is a waste of 99 minutes of my life and my money! first off, the plot is weak and pointless. the direction is slow and unsteady. there are no chemistry between the two leads and i don't feel their 'friendship'.

this movie is not touching nor emotional nor funny. sure its different, but in a weird sense. there's no message delivered from this film and i found my eyes half closed during the whole duration of this lifeless, dead picture.

i guess the response from Brazilian audiences are different to foreign audiences. which is why, i cant believe this movie is rated so high on IMDb.