Corpo Elétrico

This film tells the story of a 23 years old Brazilian man, who works in a garment factory. He is good at his work, and his boss gives him more responsibilities. However, his heart does not lie in his career, but in carnal relationships with the people around him.

"Body Electric" appears to have a very exciting synopsis, so I watched it in a film festival. The film ends up being very mundane, and has no actual plot. It shows Elias working in the factory, or hanging clothes at home, or hanging out with his colleagues. The problem is that there is no clear starting line, no clear journey and no clear destination for the characters. Elias spends a lot of time in bed, but so what? From the way they introduce the characters, I really don't care about them or feel anything towards them.

The camera work is an aspect that I was disappointed with. There are many long static shots, which makes the film lethargic. Sometimes the camera moves so little, even at the expense of the character talking not being in the centre of the frame. For example, the scene where the pink hair guy talks loads in the toilet, he is way off centre. He should be the focal point, but he is relegated to the side.

When the film ends abruptly, there is no sense of the story having achieved or conveyed anything. It is not a drama because there is almost no story. It is not an erotic film because you can hardly see anything. It is not funny or thrilling either. There is little to keep me interested in the story, if there was a story at all.

That's all the film is. It's about the lives of a group of guys and girls who work in a garment-making factory, some straight and some gay. The central character is an attractive gay man who has several relationships on the go and has one-night-stands whenever possible. He also has an ambiguous relationship with an older rich guy.

His immediate boss gives him a great deal of responsibility in his work and he seems to enjoy his job but he is easily distracted, something noticed by the big boss who advises him to tone down relationships with the workers as he is supervisory staff.

The film shows several relationships that are developing or established amongst his friends. One nice touch is how virtually all of the crowd accepts the gay contingent.

There's no plot at all. It's just a progression through several lives and events leading up to and during Xmas and New Year. Some might think this is pointless and have said so in their reviews but I found it fascinating and refreshing.

No one can say this film is a cliché - most people complain that "gay" films end up in tragedy. This ends as the film has proceeded, as it might in real life, just carrying on as it has to that point. There can't be a "resolution", as some reviewers are complaining, as there is no plot as such.

It's a different type of film and I liked it.

If the world, our actions in it, our ambitions, and our friendly encounters amuse you, you will likely love this movie. The acting is incredibly fluid, the cinematography great, the characters real. But, as some have pointed out, the plot, it exists at all, is existential. It is about a talented, directionless fellow in Brownian motion with other talented directionless people, living their lives in very amusing ways. I am a 50-ish American, saw this film in Mumbai with a 50-ish Indian buddy, and we both laughed throughout, recognizing ourselves and our zanny friends everywhere. Albert Camus and Salvador Dali, I think, would have loved it. Tom Cruze, not so much.

There is not a lot of plot in this smart and attractive movie. The people work in a garment factory. They hang out. The hero is a supervisor there and has friends from work and his own neighborhood. One theme is the mixing of work and one's social life. Our guy mixes. He is warned that this is not a good thing for his professional future but he likes people and is not about to give up his personal life for some business norm. The title is from Whitman. Most of the characters are gay but that is less the point than seeing one man's journey through early adulthood and seeing the choices he makes. The cast is very attractive and the erotic quotient rates very high. Very sexy. More great gay themed films are coming from South America. This would be one of them.

Body Electric is hypnotic to the point of somnolence. It gazes at the life of a young gay man, seemingly aimless as he floats through the working day, which then blends into late nights of sex and parties. Many of the scenes feel improvised, which give the film an edgy and authentic feel. However, overall it's very repetitive with little plot or character development. You'll need to care about the protagonist to keep engaged. And if you don't, the whole thing may put you to sleep.