Amarelo Manga

To comment on the moribund nature of society? If that's what you're into then watch the evening news and save two hours of your life. It is rare that I watch a movie and feel that it fails to portray any kind of worthwhile social commentary--especially when the movie, from the beginning, seems determined to try to do so. Amarelo Manga becomes an unintentional parody of sweeping social commentary and fades, instead, into fascination with the sexually deviant. I give it three stars because Matheus Nachtergaele gives a memorable performance as a gay hotel tramp who is always trying to involve himself in others' affairs (and get them involved in his). His performance notwithstanding, this movie is not worth the time.

This film is a raw and realistic portrait of humble people of Recife, their fight for survival and loving desire. Fotography is impressive, cause almost every scene the color of its title is present.

This is one of the best brazilian movies I have ever seen. The way the characters' stories get connected to each other along the movie is really amazing. Some of all the poverty, violence and social disease so common at a humble landscape of Brazil is depicted on the screen through a great script and dazzling photography. Although the sharp sense of humour of some characters this movie contains the right amount of reality that some people may not feel comfortable to watch. For those who have the guts, this motion picture is a perfect portrait of a brazilian unfair society that may remain in the mind of the audiences for quite along. Shocking, hilarious and tough. Two thumbs up!

In a poor neighborhood in Recife, the lives of exotic and bizarre characters entwine in a bar and in a very low-budget hotel. The queer Dunga (Matheus Nachtergaele) works in the hotel and has a crush on the butcher Wellington (Chico Diaz) that is married with the religious Kika (Dira Paes) and has an affair with his mistress Dayse (Magdale Alves). The sick necrophiliac Isaac (Jonas Bloch) owns a yellow Mercedes Benz and wants to have sex with Lígia (Leona Cavalli) that owns of Bar Avenida.

"Amarelo Manga" is practically the debut of director Cláudio Assis, at least this movie made him famous in Brazil, but actually is a boring exploitation of sex and low level situations. The nudity and sex scenes are absolutely unnecessary and have only the intention of shocking the audiences and most of them are free, like for example, the scenes of the asthmatic fat woman in the hotel; of the sex scene between Kika and Isaac with the hair brush; or Lígia taking her clothes off after closing her bar. I do not like this Brazilian director but many professional critics love him. The cast has great performances but the story is terrible. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Amarelo Manga" ("Mango Yellow")

Cláudio Assis won several awards at festivals for his feature debut, "Amarelo Manga" aka "Mango Yellow". His mosaic about some very troubled lives starts intriguing, and the talented, versatile cast (Matheus Nachtergaele, Chico Diaz, Dira Paes, Jonas Bloch and Leona Cavalli) keeps our attention till the end. However, Assis fails on the same aspects as other pretense "provocateurs", such as Sérgio Bianchi ("Chronically Unfeasible") and Larry Clark ("Kids" seemed to have some honesty, but "Ken Park" is one of the most unnecessary flicks ever made): excessive nudity (I actually think there should be MORE nudity in films, since nudity should be treated as natural by everybody; but this movie is a great example of how nudity should not be presented), too much visual and verbal masturbation for pure shock factor. I'm far from being a prude and that's why I admire directors like Todd Solondz, Lars von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar and Gregg Araki, just to name a few, who know how to provoke without being shallow, unlike Cláudio.

People like Tata Amaral, Jorge Furtado, Beto Brant (and let's not even mention the internationally acclaimed Hector Babenco, Walter Salles and Fernando Meirelles), have made thought-provoking, intelligent films, without being gratuitous or shallow. They are the real provocateurs in Brazilian cinema, something that Assis and Sérgio Bianchi haven't proved to be, yet. There's more to a provocateur than "sex and stomach": wit is essential to the mixture, Mr. Assis. 3/10.