O Outro Lado da Rua

Very nice Brazilian neo-noir, a mix of Rear Window with romantic drama in the third-age, with Copacabana as the background. The script is very well written (very nice and smart dialogs, often funny), and direction, acting (Fernanda Montenegro, Raul Cortez and, although with a minor role, Laura Cardoso!) and shooting are excellent. Quite good underrated movie.

Regina, played by Fernanda Montenegro, is an older woman with firm opinions about people and life. Retired, estranged from family, and living with a pet dog, she spends her days (and nights) as a police volunteer reporting criminal activity near her home, a large apartment tower across from Copacabana beach.

The work gives Regina gives purpose and meaning to any otherwise empty life. Much of her success is likely due to the fact that in a neighborhood crowded with young, beautiful people, an elderly woman is practically invisible.

One day she sees a man kill his wife. When the police refuse to act, Regina decides to investigate on her own. The quiet story that follows is engaging, surprising, and full of insights into the life of the elderly.

7/10

"The Other Side of the Street" is one of those wonderful films that may be a little hard to take in, but that are so worth the experience. It brilliantly tells a story of a woman on her 60s who is desperately lonely, who is looking for some reason to feel alive and needed. When she witnesses something strange happening on the other side of the street, she immediately finds a way to bring that event into her own dark life. Once more, Fernanda Montenegro proves to be an amazing actress, by giving to her character different nuances of one single self. She is just perfect. It's an actor's film, beautifully directed by M. Bernstein, co-writer of "Central Station". And the music, or the lack of it at some points, transfers the feeling of loneliness from the screen right into the audience. I definitely recommend this film, for those who wish to reflect about the consequences of modern times on common people's lives.

I had the opportunity to watch this movie at Cannes Film Festival and I really enjoyed it. Full of emotion and tenderness. It's so rare nowadays to see stories about the feelings of elder people that watching it made me understand that all generations look for the same things: love, understanding, generosity and companionship.

Fernanda Montenegro again confirms here her career as a great actress. I read that this film has been selected in a great number of festivals throughout the world and has won many prizes. I hope that will help distributors to bring this Brazilian pearl to large audiences in many countries.

"O Outro Lado da Rua" or "The Other Side of the Street" tells the story of Regina, a lonely 65 year old who works as an undercover informer for the police, using the code name Snowwhite. When she thinks she witnesses one of her neighbors from across the road murdering his wife, she immediately calls the police. They respond to the call, but even though they find the dead woman, they can't find anything wrong in the men's apartment. They say it's a natural cause of death, but Regina doesn't believe them and she will do anything to prove that she was right. She starts following him, but isn't always very successful doing so. And instead of keeping her job and her emotional life separate, she soon falls in love with the man who she thinks is a murderer...

Next to being a good drama and a thriller, this movie also gives some interesting social criticism. People who are a bit older or retired are often lonely and aren't considered as useful anymore, they are seen as a part of the decor and certainly shouldn't talk or have their own opinion... I guess that's an idea that not only can be found in Brazil, where this movie was made, but all over the world. It's the same over here. Once people have reached a certain age, they seem to be considered as useless for society, which isn't correct of course. As this movie shows, even older people should and can have a meaningful life and certainly shouldn't be alone.

Next to the message, this movie also has other strong points. One of these points is the acting. Fernanda Montenegro and Raul Cortez did a very nice job portraying the two older and lonely people who meet each other in this weird way. They are very believable and there has never been a moment that I considered their acting as unbelievable or over the top. Their performances are sincere and beautiful. Other nice features are the photography and the music, which both give this movie an extra fine touch.

Overall this is a movie that probably will not be loved by the majority of the public because there aren't any flashy action shots or fast car chases in it. But for all the people that love the alternative and foreign cinema, this is certainly worth a watch. I give it a 7.5/10.