A Paixão de Jacobina

"Jacobina" is a boring film about religious, obsessions, sin and forgiveness that make you feel embarrassed as a spectator. It's obvious that this director had been under the influence of the traditional ingredients of the low production of Latino television soap-opera. A boring script, awful acting, terrible editing and the worst directing I have seen in the last years, with all the ingredients of a awful film about the story of the woman who convinced her follower that she was a Jesus apostle in 1870s in a little town of Brazil. The production values are totally cheap, lacking research and authenticity. I don't know why I didn't leave the screening room in the first 15 minutes when was obvious the product I will see at the end.

In the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century, Jacobina (Letícia Spiller), a German descendant living in Rio Grande do Sul (in South of Brazil), claims that Jesus Christ had contacted her. She raises a new religion, called Muckers by the locals. Her principles of equality and happiness bother the politicians and the leader of the established Protestant religion. They request the imperial army intervention, and all the followers of Jacobina are murdered.

This movie is boring: it is not a good example of the present moment of Brazilian cinema, with excellent movies like 'Cidade de Deus', 'Abril Despedaçado', 'Bicho de Sete Cabeças', 'O Invasor' among many others. The acting looks like a soap opera. Letícia Spiller face in some moments is horrible, with her eyes wide open. She can express and act much better than that. And the last battle scene is simply ridiculous. Brazilian cinema is better and better than presented in this movie. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Paixão de Jacobina" ("The Passion of Jacobina")

This film is really terrible. The story is superficial and badly told. Nothing gives a feeling of authenticity. The people look like they were plugged from the street at random, yesterday. Above all they cannot act at all. City folks playing poor German farmers in the 1870's. How bad it can be. The story is told in a pompous way and does not even in the slightest way reflect the sober life that the early immigrants have led.

In the 19th century Rio Grande do Sul was far away from the central government. Because the south was disputed with Argentina and Uruguay the German and Italian immigrants were brought in to justify Brazilian claims. Even Germany tried to be part of it by paying for schools and such in German colonies up till WW2. Disorder, anarchy and uprisings are part of the history of the south. Up till today there are political movements that are in favour of a separation from the central state.

I come myself from the south of Brasil and I know São Leopoldo and the story of the Mucker pretty well. There could have been told so much more. With a little bit of research the writers of this movie would have found out that the early days of the immigrants was not a pretty picture book. The early days were harsh and full of poverty. Just watch the old photos that survived. People looked undernourished, with torn clothes and unshaven. In this climate Jacobina could rise.

Even now when you visit the 'interior' of southern Brasil you will find the same kind of 'colonos' driving their ox-carts and living in wooden shacks. They still speak German like the majority did in those days.

The 'Canudos' of the south deserves a much better movie.

The best part of this film is Letícia Spiller performance, a 29-year-old actress who have shown on Brazilian TV, cinema and theatres she is really talented and beautiful. In this movie she plays Jacobina, a girl who says she's chosen by Jesus Christ to be a preacher and to create her own religion. In a short time she's got a great number of people following her and listening to what she has to say.

The movie itself is far from being wonderful (I personally think the story would be better told if the film was longer) but it is still good enough to please you.

My Rate 7/10