L'odeur du siphon

I just saw the movie few days ago on the Festival De Guadalajara. I saw it and it got me going. The acting is fabulous,every actor takes his part to a great level. And the first sequence is a delight for the eyes, and also the main actor. The irreverence of the movie, from the funny to the disgusting (And all in between) remind us that aesthetic doesn't necessarily means beautiful. With this wicked game of the aesthetic on art department, acting, screenplay and photo, you can't do anything but fall in love, and identify with the main character. I must say that I haven't read the book, but the writer must to be very pleased if he act on the movie (Find him out!) I just hope that it finds a good distributor, because I wanna have it on my collection, and I hope you too.

Usually, when it comes to Brazilian films, it is common the themes which lies about the rich culture that shape this country or, as has happened recently, addressing the issue of urban violence. Therefore, these issues are also on the films that most Brazilians are recognized internationally. "Drained" is a different case, because it shows a Brazilian film that is not necessarily on a Brazilian theme. It tells a story about the complexity of human relations in their most obscure side, making a portrait full of dark humor. Talks about the way we transform everything into things with prices to be paid for. Selton Mello is perfect in the film, as well as the ambiance and direction. A surreal story, with great moments of humor, is what awaits the spectator of "Drained".

Amazing movie it captures the very deep essence of an ordinary Brazilian man, exaggerating to the limit of what society considers "acceptable" or sociable.

Despising others, playing cynical mind games with his clients, Selton Mello's character oscillates from the abject to more or less acceptable person. He runs a pawn shop, a dirty and smelly place and he wants everyone to know: The bad odour is not coming from him, it is coming from the drain. He is shy, reclusive and obsessed by woman hips, but with special attention to a waitress' from a cheap fast food restaurant. She is his platonic love.

Crude, disgusting, thoughtful, cynical with some dark humor. A hidden gem from Brazilian cinema.

Just saw the movie here in São Paulo - Brazil.

I gotta say the movie is daring, Selton Melo is brilliant in the role of Lourenço, still different from what I imagined of the character, but keeping the acid and sharp irony we can find in the book.

The book seems to "go faster", smoother, it keeps the pace and your attention in a way the movie fails in some punctual moments.

It's hard to find flaws in this film, it's extremely good, we learn to love, hate and feel disgust for the main character as we see a lot of ourselves in his sick perception of reality and how it changes through time.

It's interesting to notice the presence of the "bitch in pink", the character of the aerobics instructor, from the book "Jesus Kid" also by Lourenço Mutarelli.

I'm still impressed by the movie, it's a must, and I'll get it in DVD when it'll be released, but still ... there is something about the book I couldn't get with the film.

Anyway it deserves my score

Lourenço (Selton Mello) is a dealer that buys belongings of needy people by a lower price to profit reselling them. He is a deranged, cold and selfish man that sees people like objects for sale, exploiting their needs. When he meets the waitress of a cheap diner, he falls in love for her butt and does not know what to do when she shows affection for him. He believes that the smell of the sewer strainer of his bathroom is blurring his mind and is a gateway to hell, but refuses to pay for its repair. When a junkie client abused by the power of his money reacts, the world of the controller Lourenço begins to fall apart.

"O Cheiro do Ralo" is a weird and unpleasant tale of the insanity process of a man completely obsessed by the power of his money. The Kafkaesque story is intriguing but unfortunately goes nowhere and has a pointless end. Selton Mello, as usual, has a magnificent performance but the situations are repetitive and this low-budget Brazilian movie is too long. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Cheiro do Ralo" ("The Smell of the Sewer Strainer")