O Sorriso de uma Vida

The film is very slow, and the main character seems to make more enemies than friends. He may be a good dentist but he doesn't seem to be a people person. I admire a film about such a non mainstream topic, but it doesn't evoke much interest or empathy from me.

This Film is very original, with a highly unique character: a travelling dentist, played perfectly by Daniel Day-Lewis in One of His best roles, and yet not talked about much. The kind of humor we have here is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy nonsensical, surrealistic stories depicted with lots of passion and an underlying philosophical message, this might Just be your dish.

Directed by the great Carlos Sorin, this is an unforgettable cinematic experience. Save it for a day when you crave for something different. But be opened for the surprise, this is not a conventional Story by any means. This is a masterfully accomplished work of art that sustains itself Pretty much on it's own universe. Certainly, One the strangest road movies ever made. And an absolute must-see for Day-Lewis fans. 10/10.

So there's probably no chance at all anyone would know about this movie if it hadn't starred Daniel Day-Lewis. Even with Day-Lewis in the lead role, it's still super obscure, and it honestly doesn't surprise me that this isn't well-known. That being said, it's so odd that I think it almost qualifies as something that deserves cult status... but I do have to emphasize the "almost" there, because it's pretty boring in parts, and definitely not a riot from start to finish.

But it is odd in a compelling way, and though I think it was supposed to be a comedy, I'm not sure it was always funny for the reasons it wanted to be. Plot-wise, it concerns a very "passionate" dentist riding across Argentina on a motorcycle, generally yelling at people who don't look after their teeth while ranting about cavities. Day-Lewis commits as he always does, and when his performance is coupled with the odd screenplay, the results are uncomfortable, confusing, and sometimes hilarious.

The dialogue needs to be heard to be believed, but some highlights include Day-Lewis saying things like:

• "Ignorance is not the enemy. Tooth decay is the enemy."
• "I had a wonderful dream... Everybody had their teeth removed."
• "The lord made tooth decay, but he also made dentists like me."
• "The world is collapsing outside, and I have an erection."

The whole thing is kind of unhinged, and though there are some really slow moments, it might be almost worth slogging through to uncover some of the particularly funny (and strange) moments. Eversmile New Jersey is probably Day-Lewis's weirdest film, and I'm sure he's happy that it's also probably his most obscure (but here I am, doing my part to unearth it and the bizarre stuff it contains within).

I'm not sure how many other mobile-dentist-in-Argentina movies have been made, but this must be the best of the bunch. Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely possessed, as a man determined to rid rural South America of tooth decay. Maltin's low rating is unjustified (1 1/2*), this fits rather in the hidden treasure category. Mirjana Jokovic, a girl Daniel meets along the way, gives a haunting innocent-but-sexy performance.

I am in a very peculiar mood right now having just seen this movie. It is, to me at least, so bizarre my head is spinning. Not bizarre in an obvious, flashy way, but because the film takes itself so seriously in creating a protagonist the viewer relates to and empathize with, yet the character is utterly ridiculous. It leaves one to think, perhaps he's not ridiculous at all, but maybe this is what we are all like. As I have just minutes ago seen the film it's probable my opinion will change, but at this moment, what I got from this film was a very subtle but nonetheless effective message that life, films, people, teeth, war, and whatever else are completely meaningless. In one scene the dentist is explaining how silly the fighting in Northern Ireland is, if they could only realize their teeth are decaying. This film to me says, 'meaningless', and I appreciated it. I would be very curious to learn about the development of this film and what everyone involved was thinking. All in all, a film certainly worth seeing, and I must add that Daniel Day-Lewis was the reason I rented the film and I wasn't disappointed. The best actor of our generation. Unbelievable. Can't wait for Gangs of New York.