Jasmim Hotel

This short but precious little gem tells a story of two roommates at a flat in Sao Paulo, a male prostitute and a poor man from the countryside who came to find a job, and is visibly desperate about his situation, whereas the other one has a rather cool attitude about himself and what he's doing for living. It's a story about two contradictory mindsets and values, compressed into a short format that leaves little space for exaggeration and narrative development. However, the initally cool roommate slowly changes his relationship to the other guy, faced with his unspoilt honesty and criticism. It's a perfect example of a narrative with an increasing tension and surprising climax. A pleasant surprise, I almost wish it was longer.

A simple man from the Northeast Brazil (Daniel Farias) goes to work as a waiter in São Paulo and he stays at a cheap hotel where his roommate is a quite uncaring male hustler (Dudu Pelizzari). Many social and cultural differences in between them but it's the behavior one that actually speaks louder than words since they don't seem to find a common agreement on anything until an outside event hits them both, at first with different reactions but in time they might join forces to help someone in need.

"Hotel Jasmin" is based on a play of same name from the very original director/writer and with the cast reprising their stage roles. It's an interesting film about the human condition in chaotic times and chaotic places. Nothing that you haven't seen before but there's something special here. If one looks deeper into those characters and their dualities and differences one can easily spot that they actually have plenty of common since both are social rejects in some way and both face prejudice from the crowd even in a multi-cultural space as this big city actually is. One faces prejudice from being an outsider and the other due to the nature of his work which isn't seen with good eyes (even with his roommate). So there you have a dynamite waiting to explode with one pushing the other's buttons.

I liked the film, the dialogues presented and the whole situation as it unfolds since it has a quite realistic aspects and it's one of those stories you keep asking for more to happen - and an even more resolute ending. I wonder how they presented this as a play, what more situations between those happened that was left out from the movie.

I also liked the acting but just from Pelizzari, a veteran from many telenovelas and a familiar face to me; the other guy seemed a beginner without much confidence, slightly aloof - which is how the character is supposed to be but I sensed something else, a different vibration that simply didn't work for me even though his character is the one we should feel more empathy as opposed to the smart hustler. Other than those minor criticisms there's nothing wrong in the movie, it's all played in a brilliant manner. 8/10.