Jogo Subterrâneo

The first movie directed by Roberto Gervitz in 18 years, "Jogo Subterrâneo" aka "Underground Game" is better than his acclaimed adaptation of Marcelo Rubens Paiva's best-selling autobiography, "Feliz Ano Velho" (1987). This time, he adapted a short story by Argentinian author Julio Cortázar, about a lonely man (Felipe Camargo) who picks random women on the subway, just to follow them hoping that someone will take the same course as his - such woman could be the right one for him.

"Underground Game" is a dark variation of the "brief encounter" sub-genre, that's given us so many diverse titles ('Before Sunrise/Sunset', 'Next Stop Wonderland', 'In The Mood For Love', 'Lost in Translation', 'Broken English' and, of course, David Lean's classic "Brief Encounter", among many others). Felipe Camargo has never been a great actor and most likely will never be, but he's adequate as the lonely Martin. The always wonderful Maria Luísa Mendonça (one of the greatest - and most underrated - Brazilian actresses of her generation, a fearless talent; I consider her our Jennifer Jason Leigh) gives a nuanced performance as a troubled woman who might be his true love. The last scene is particularly touching, melancholic and uplifting at once. 8.5/10.

In São Paulo, the weird and romantic piano player Martin (Felipe Camargo) believes in serendipity and invents a game to find the woman of his dreams. He previously selects a route in the subway, and in the wagon, he chases a woman to see if her destiny is the same as his. Following his procedures, he meets Tania (Daniela Escobar), the mother of an autistic girl; the blind writer Laura (Júlia Lemmertz); and the mysterious Ana (Maria Luisa Mendonça), a woman with a secret past, and he falls in love for Ana.

Based on a short story of Julio Cortázar, one of my favorite writers when I was a teenager, "Jogo Subterrâneo" is a magnificent low-budget romance. The story and the stunning music score have the atmosphere of a film-noir; Felipe Camargo, the very sexy Maria Luisa Mendonça, Daniela Escobar, Júlia Lemmertz and the girl Thavyne Ferrari have great performances, and Maitê Proença has a minor but effective participation. There is a ridiculous remark in the IMDb goofs: São Paulo is a cosmopolitan city, and none information is given about the past of the characters; therefore they are living in São Paulo, but they were not necessarily born in São Paulo. The accent of each character is irrelevant in the plot, since their origins are not disclosed along the story. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Jogo Subterrâneo" ("Underground Game")