Linha de Passe

Absolutely outstanding film. A slice of sometimes gritty, sometimes funny, sometimes boring life in Sao Paolo seen through a lens. Much as I enjoyed City of God and other similar 'favela' style films, having been to Brazil I do get the impression that they sensationalise a certain lifestyle that just doesn't apply to your average city-dwelling Brazilian. Which is partly why I loved Linha de Passe - there was no gun-toting gangsters, just a single parent family struggling with the day to day Sao Paolo life. And lots of football. The main characters were magnificent - all of the sons and the mother were just so incredibly believable that you feel that they can't possibly be actors. The cinematography was beautiful - the football scenes didn't feel clichéd and the urban environments were used to stunning effect.

Linha de Passe isn't something you're going to enjoy if you need a film with a parcel-wrapped storyline dressed up with a pretty ribbon on top. It just offers you an often moving glimpse of what feels like very real life in one of the most populous cities on earth.

Linha de Passe (2008) tells the story of 5 characters whose lives connect naturally, because they are a family. Cleuza is pregnant and is a single mother of four sons: Dênis, Dario, Dinho and Reginaldo. Their stories are very interesting, well thought out and relate in a great way. Besides, it has a smart writing, an escalation in the narrative... Through this 5 stories, George Moura and Daniela Thomas explore many important social issues in Brazil, such as poverty, unemployment and inequality in an entertaining way. The realism in the screenplay and in other aspects I'm gonna mention, add to this movie a strong documentary appeal. The lines are fantastic.

What reinforces realism the most is the set, with many real locations, the costume design, make up and the acting. It's not by chance that Sandra Corveloni (Cleuza) won the Cannes Film Festival (2008) Best Actress prize. She is brilliant in Linha de Passe, with a very believable acting and an amazing chemistry with the boys, as if she was really their mother.

João Baldasserini is very charismatic as Dênis; Vinícius de Oliveira owns every Dario scene, he is very natural; Geraldo Rodrigues nailed in portraying somebody who passes through a roller coaster of feelings, like Dinho does and Kaique Jesus Santos stealed the attention with his sarcasm and irony as Reginaldo. One of the best child actings I've ever seen.

In addition to all of this there are the perfectly simple and beautiful Gustavo Santaolalla scores; Mauro Pinheiro Jr. Clever cinematography, that utilizes the city light and Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas sensitive shots.

Everything named contributed to a very worth watching drama that, unfortunately, still represents a lot Brazil.

This movie is a striking portrait of Brazilian lower class which focuses on a poor family's story. Avoiding an agitative langue, it presents sanctuaries and small gates of hope of poor people like religion or football.

This is a sorrowfull lesson for those who are only aware of funny dancers in Rio festivals and of famous football teams in Brazil.

Absolutely should be seen, especially by the ones loving "Mondays in the Sun" by Aronoa, "City of God" by Meirelles or "Amores Perros" by Inàrritu.

In the periphery of São Paulo, the pregnant single mother Cleuza (Sandra Corveloni) works as maid in the apartment of a middle-class family. Each of her sons has a different unknown father: the oldest, Dênis (João Baldasserini), has a baby son that lives with his mother and he works as motorcycle courier; Dinho (José Geraldo Rodrigues) is Christian converted and works as attendant in a gas station; Dario (Vinícius de Oliveira) is an aspirant soccer player that is getting older without the expected chance in a team; and the youngest, Reginaldo (Kaique Jesus Santos), is obsessed to find his black father that works as a bus driver, and spends most of his spare time traveling by bus. Along the months, each brother experiences new deceptions and expectations while the family fights to survive.

"Linha de Passe" is an overrated tale about the invisible people that live in the periphery of big cities. The characters are very realistic, but the screenplay and the edition have many cuts, and the development of the characters is very confused in the beginning. The movie also uses unnecessary footages of the Corinthians soccer team that has the second largest legion of fans in Brazil after Flamengo, maybe with the intention of increasing the box office in São Paulo. The acting is top-notch and Vinícius de Oliveira is indeed a good soccer player. The inconclusive open end is deceptive – the writers could have written a non-corny conclusion, for the good or for the bad of the characters. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Linha de Passe"

This movie is similar to Walter Salles' "Central Station," in that it shows a part of Brazilian life that people know very little about: the poor suburbs of the big cities. This time, he looks at a family living on the outskirts of Sao Paulo and the everyday struggles they face. Salles shows what life is like for the poor in Brazil without the in your face violence from "City of God" but with the same grace and humor as Central Station.

Part of the success of the film are the wonderful actors, who turned a decent script into much more. Sandra Corveloni won Best Actress for the film at Cannes, and Vinicius de Oliveira, famous for his amazing performance as a child in "Central Station," plays one of Sandra's sons. Kaique Jesus Santos plays Sandra's youngest son, who equals Vinicius' "Central Station" performance.

Don't expect an action movie or love story, but do expect the chance to get a glimpse of the real Brazil.