O Homem que Copiava

'Money is only paper that people believe is worth something. If nobody believes it, it's useless,' says Andre, a young man who works as a paper copier in a store but really wants to work as a cartoonist.

Too bad that everyone believes that money is a very useful piece of paper. Andre doesn't make enough money. His paycheck is low and he struggles with his meager budget, which allows him to buy and do very little. Everyday, he thinks of different ways to make money.

The need of money can make a person do some desperate things and Andre becomes desperate when he meets the girl of his dreams. He needs money to spend on her. His desperation leads him to make some very questionable choices.

Andre's character is so likable that I couldn't help but cheer him on to succeed in his dreams. I hoped that he would not get in trouble or hurt. The people around him like his girlfriend Sylvia, his co-worker Marinez, and her friend Cardoso are all appealing characters to watch.

This is a fun movie to watch with interesting twists and turns to the very end. It's a good story with a good ending.

I will tell you almost nothing about the plot of this film. It's too good to ruin giving away any details. I saw this film in 04 at the SF Intl. Film Festival, and of the 15 or so films I saw, this was by far the gem of gems. It's visually spectacular, clever, funny at times, you don't see it all coming as layers peel away, there's love, tension and it's truly what film making is supposed to be about. (Hollywood, take a memo!)You'd have to be a stone to not enjoy this film, and on so many levels. It is set in an industrial town in Brazil, the characters are every day people, and the lens of the camera takes you on a ride you will remember. The Director has done videos before this, and brought a very contemporary style and language to the film making process. This is not a melo-drama or dark and heavy, but it's exquisite to watch and really what film making, art-making should be about.

See it in a theater, rent it if you can, but see this film!!!

André (Lázaro Ramos) is a nineteen years old man who works as a photocopier operator in a small suburban store. He is very simple, earning R$ 240,00 (US$ 80,00) per month, the price of a fancy pair of tennis shoes, and he has just the basic education. He shares some expenses with his mother: he pays part of the rent of the small apartment where he lives with his mother (R$ 100,00); part of the installment of a 14' TV (R$ 32,00); and another R$ 40,00 of other monthly expenses. After expenses, he can afford of R$ 68,00 per month for him. Although being intelligent, he has some sort of incomplete knowledge, due to the partial reading of the books and magazines while he makes copy. He has a pair of binocular, which he bought after one year of savings and he is a voyeur. His hobby is seeing his neighbors in the night, specially Silvia (Leandra Leal), for whom he has a crush. André works with the sexy Marinês (Luana Piovani), a silly beautiful young woman, who usually says that she is virgin and will only have sex with a non-smoking rich guy. One day, André is invited to an opening party in a bar, he calls Marinés, and she brings her friend Cardoso (Pedro Cardoso), initiating a friendship among them. André decides to follow Silvia, and realizes she works as vendor in a store, selling costumes for women. He decides to buy a R$ 38,00 robe-de-chambre for his mother just to get close to Silvia, but he can not afford that amount. Therefore, he makes a photocopy of a R$ 50,00 bill and gambles R$ 9,00 in the lottery, getting a change of R$ 41,00. With this money, he approaches Silvia and they become friends. This is just the beginning of one of the best Brazilian movie ever. While following with humor the saga of André to get the love of Silvia, we find comedy, drama, action and romance in this outstanding film. The direction, the performance of the cast and the screenplay full of plot points are perfect. The DVD was released on 30 March 2004, and I had pre-bought it a couple of months ago. It was really worthwhile waiting for so many days! Brazilian cinema is one of the best of the world, not in quantity, but in quality. We have excellent directors, actors and actresses. But the screenplay of this movie is amazingly good. Even a foreigner, who is aware that our minimum wage is R$ 240,00 (US$ 80,00) per month, can understand the needs of André. This is one of our greatest social problem, the unfair wealth distribution: most of our population (maybe about 70%) receives less than US$ 80,00 per month, in a country where a pair of tennis of a better trademark (like a Nike) costs US$ 80,00. The situation of André reflects the lack of perspective of most of our teenagers, who can not afford to supply their basic needs. And André has a job, lives in a simple flat with his mother in a simple suburban zone outside the slums, and has some education. The unemployment rate in Brazil is higher and higher, the salaries are lower and lower and a great part of the urban population lives in slums. It is impossible not to like this movie, recommended for all audiences. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): `O Homem Que Copiava' (`The Man Who Copied')

I watched this film enjoying every moment until the last 20 minutes or so. Why did the script and pace twist so much, I really couldn't get it. The sympathetic, lovable characters turned into killers and robbers too fast. And for what purpose? It was a naive, touching script which shifted to a crime text in an absurd way. We witnessed every small detail of the main character's simple life in a very beautiful way for more than 3/4 of the film but everything got an unbelievable and shallow pace suddenly and I was left for wondering why he did this and that without any clue.

I would have recommend it to anyone and regard it as a masterpiece but unfortunately it's only a nice film for me now, after the terrible last quarter.

This movie has it all - adventure, crime, romance, friendship, humor. It's surprising - you newer know what's going to happen next, you're kept in suspense. It's personal and heartfelt without being tepid and pink.

The characters are very realistic and they make very fine, well balanced portraits. And it's a movie that can make you think a lot, if you want to - you can also choose just to hop on board and follow the flow of this journey.

Great ending! - I admit, I'm a weak sucker for an ending like that! :) This is a tenner! 10/10