O Que é Isso, Companheiro?

After the dark era of the 1980s - when the only movies being produced locally were, to put it mildly, very erotic - the Brazilian Movie Industry struggled to regain international credibility. And, while "Carlota Joaquina" and "O Quatrilho" clearly paved the way, this is (in my opinion) the production that put Brazil back on the charts. Based on a true story, "O que É isso, Companheiro?" is brought to life by actors who are probably the best performers of the currently generation, and earned an Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The most amazing aspect of this movie, however, goes unknown by international audiences: two of its main actors (Pedro Cardoso and Luiz Fernando Guimarães) achieved success, in Brazil, through their work as comedians.

The movie, based on the Fernando Gabeira's novel, is intense, full of action, motion and meaning. How a few young rebels planned and executed the kidnap of the US Ambassador in Rio - on that time, the Embassy was still there. Very well produced and edited, special comments about the sound, with some moments of silence and other with a disturbing noise. An expert crew. Take a look in Pedro Cardoso, who represents Fernando Gabeira. OK, some scenes of the movie are different from the original written version, but I should say it looks really good. But I would never suggest somebody else to try repeating their adventure and kidnap the US Ambassador...

This is a truly passionate film about young men and women who fight for ideals that they believe in.

A Brazillian rebel group has kidnapped the American ambassador for Brazil, and demands that fifteen jailed political prisoners be let free. This leads to some tense sequences with Fernando, the most intelligent and cowardly of the kidnappers, and the ambassador (played brilliantly by Alan Arkin).

This could have become a routine thriller. It isn't due to it's intelligence and passion. A very worthwhile movie.

** Even if you're turned off by the idea of subtitles, don't worry. There is a lot of English.

When the Brazilian Government is overthrown by a military uprising, the result is a dictatorship over the people. With protests violently broken up on the streets, armed struggle is seen as the only solution and leads to the formation of the 8th October group (MR8). Desiring direct action, Fernando and Cesar join the group and are trained in weaponry and the likes. However during a bank job, Cesar hesitates to kill and is shot and captured by the police, while the others flee. It is this that gives Fernando the idea to kidnap the American ambassador in return for the release of 15 captured revolutionaries and bringing the events to the attention of the world. This film tells the story of the four-day hostage situation in the mid-sixties.

I'm not a particularly well-read person and there is a lot of history (even recent history) that I am simply not aware of and this includes the events and times presented in this film. For that reason I cannot really comment on the accuracy or level of detail containing in this telling but what little I have since gleamed from other sources tell me that it is pretty fair and close enough to being accurate. The plot is well told and is made interesting by the attention paid to the people involved in the situation; the drama and tension comes from them rather than false action sequences or stand-offs. The thanks for this should lie with the cast but also with the script that creates the characters and makes them 'real', meaning we find it easier to understand them and feel for the positions they are in. The historical context is well done and I did find it very easy to get engaged in.

The characters are where it is at and they are all very 'human'. We are never made to totally root for them because of what they are doing, but we are helped to understand why they are doing this and how hard it is for some of them to actually turn their words into action. Cardoso does this best and he is the real heart of the film and easily the most sympathetic character. He has good chemistry with Arkin, who does well acting in a foreign film. Torres does well to gradually soften her character as the film goes and it makes her more interesting than she was early on. Support is all pretty good with no really weak performances anywhere but the film mostly belongs to these lead three. The direction is good, capturing the feel of the period early on (where stock footage blends seamlessly into the main film) and producing tension without overdoing the style over substance.

Overall this is a pretty good film, telling a straight story using the characters to drive it forward and involve the audience. The film has tension but it comes from the people involved and the situations they face in the attempts to do the 'right thing'. The script delivers the characters to the actors and the actors are convincing in their delivery, producing an engaging and interesting film that helps deliver historical relevance in a miniature story.

"Four Days in September" is a film that most here in the United States know nothing about--even though the film is a recreation of the real life kidnapping of the US ambassador to Brazil back in, 1971. Frankly, here in the States, we know very little about the country and many people I know think they speak Spanish there! It's sad and those who DO know a bit about the country get it from films like "City of God"! Because I am a history teacher, I was thrilled to learn more about the political turmoil in Brazil in the 1970s and their military dictatorship--as, I hate to admit it, my knowledge of the country is lacking. And, for me, the most surprising thing about the film was to learn that this government was in place all the way until 1989! Wow.

As for the film, it's a recreation of the evens leading to and following the abduction of the American ambassador--with a strong emphasis on the motivations and reactions of the younger members of this Communist group, MR8. Aside from a case of very capable Brazilian actors, American actor Alan Arkin is on hand as the ambassador. Overall, the film is excellent for many reasons. The script and direction are very good (without a lot of politics and without a strong bias) and the acting very good. In fact, I have no real complaints about the film, though I wonder about the further adventures of MR8--the film really had me wonder about the decades following this kidnapping.

By the way, though the film is about communist revolutionaries, the film is handled in a relatively dispassionate way and can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their political orientation. It did seem to paint these leftists somewhat favorably, but not in a manner that seemed overly sentimental or biased. Plus, it did show the characters on the right as well--a smart move in the long run. Well worth seeing.