O Palhaço

This is a dramatic masterpiece with beautiful photography, innocent and slight humor, huge symbolism in between the details and a great plot.

The ambiance: Brazil's rural areas in the late '80s(?) show a decadence which is perfect for the simplicity which is willing to be transmitted. A search for the essential, for the true vocation, down to the most innocent and oniric will of a human being.

Please, don't be shallow to call it "boring", it's not. It's not boring to value the most simple, slight and innocent feelings in instead of big mourning drama or breathtaking hilariousness. You just have to let out your concerns and allow yourself to be involved by the plot like a child. And then, you'll be surprised by having a huge contemplative smile while a small teardrop falls at the corner of your eyes.

It's a short movie, but it's wonderful. There's nothing new in it, but it makes us to remember how simple life used to be. We can see in this movie the purity of Carlitos in the main character, and how circus was important in people lives before television. It brings back some old actors who haven't seen for long as Ferrugem, Jose Loureiro, Paulo José and Moacir Franco. It's a movie that you can see with all family, there are no obscenities. It's a comedy, but you almost cry in some parts with the beauty of the plot. I must say this is the best Brazilian movie of the year and Selton Melo is becoming not only a good actor, but also a good director.

Very bad the film "O PALHAÇO" (The Clown), directed and played by Senton Mello. I pity for the children that I saw many mothers taking to watch this annoying movie, thinking it would supply the lack of a actual circus nowadays in Brazilian big cities. The story tells about a depressed clown,but the cheating advertising from Imagem Filmes hides that. It is a boring movie, depressing, irritating, long-winded, tedious, filled with many unnecessary sequences, as well as with dead times and jokes with no fun at all. The few jokes are about farts and low humorous things like that. I was compelled several times to leave the session in the middle, and it was a relief to realize that it was not a very long movie.

With each passing year we, as viewers , discover new facets and variations of one of the most versatile and complete artists of television and movie channels . Selton Mello always attracted attention as a child when he began acting on television in the early 1980s. Restless, Selton always wanted to explore new possibilities to reinvent itself as an artist and so was debuted as a screenwriter and director in film in a feature film in the acclaimed drama Feliz Natal (2008).

The Clown is the second film from the director, who also wrote the screenplay and acts - as in his film debut - alongside Marcelo Vindicato to. This second work already shows that his career as a film director is really just beginning, very well by the way . Note a significant breach of gender in relation to the previous film, with insertion of new elements, and a much deeper understanding of the characters .

Benjamin (Selton Mello) works on Circus Hope with his father Valdemar (Paulo José) . Together they form a pair of clowns Pangaré & Thoroughbred and make the joy of the audience . But life goes bland for Benjamin, who undergoes an existential crisis and so , now and then , think of abandoning Lola (Giselle Mota) , the woman who spits fire, Lorotta brothers (Poplar and Facó Hossen Minussi) , Dona Zaira (Teuda Bara) and the rest of the troupe of friends . His father and friends mourn what is happening with a partner, but understand that he needs to find his way on his own.

The Clown begins with the trucks with the members of Hope Circus arriving in another city for a few more presentations. Seconds later , the camera runs showing Benjamin-Pangaré your makeup to go on stage , but already noticed his sad look. Minutes later the artist actually wears the mask of the character and introduces the audience to cheer for another city. Is this sadness hidden behind the characteristic joy of a clown is discussed. Much more than that , the script seeks to provide a beautiful tribute to the once most valued circus world and uses this scenario to raise questions about what we want for our lives , if we work with what we like , what is our true place in the world , finally who are we?

The language used in the film is present the entire time well-defined manner. There is a perfect and delicate fusion of several scenes of light humor with some dramatic scenes of incredible sensitivity. The narrative structure, packed with symbolism, is responsible to keep a smile on the face of the audience throughout the projection and thrill when needed. The symbolism, incidentally, is present all the time , which through repetition extending the jokes competently . So it is with the fan , which Benjamin sees all the time , which becomes the symbol of finding your true vocation and sign of happiness. That object needed to be found for him to understand and reflect for what was going through and questioned if that was his true path in life. The fan, more for the final stretch , can also symbolize the good winds of renewal in the circus with the girl Wilhelmina (Larissa Manoela) . Other symbols are as well as the notorious big bra, the birth certificate (which symbolizes the search for Benjamin to find out who is in the world) and "bribe" money paid to the mechanic and the sheriff are other passages that generate genuinely comic scenes . We can still find treason in subliminal messages in paintings in the house of the mayor of the first city where they stand in the photo the villain Lola (Giselle Motta) together with the group , but looking to the side, the loss of innocence of a girl symbolized by bite an apple or Benjamin in front of the mirror , trying to find themselves , now with your ID in hand .

By portraying the lives of the members of the circus who have a nomadic life, carrying everything they have in life the cities from the countryside , the film acquires an air of road movie , allowing the narrative has numerous cameos that only add to the history, including established actors . We check closely attended by Emilio Orciollo Netto as the man on the bike that sells a map to reach the place where the brothers Beto and Deto , experienced by Tonic Pereira. Fabiana Karla appears in a single scene as Tonha. Who also appears on the scene is Jackson Antunes as Juca Bigode - it had a fabric store in the past with his father and lost everything when deciding to invest in planting rice - comedian Rust Rust as the clerk of the municipality who gives the first identity document of Benjamin, besides Brother Selton , actor Danton Mello as Aldo , Aldo Autoparts and of the great masters of mood Jorge Loredo as the boss of Benjamin , and Moacyr Franco filming a single scene as the delegate Fair .

Selton Mello Benjamin masterfully composes with all their dissatisfaction and internal inquiries since fallen gaze and body posture. Paul Joseph also deserves applause and all awards as best supporting actor, as well as all the other artists "family" of Hope Circus . All characters are charismatic and the casting has rarely been so happy. Larissa Manoela , the girl who plays Guilhermina is just a sample of the great and intuitive child actress was to become in the future , later gaining notoriety when interpreting Maria Joaquina , in the remake of the Mexican soap opera "Carrossel" on TV . Larissa is beautiful, exudes charisma and sweetness, stealing attention every time suggested on the scene . Unfortunately the short length of the film does not allow everyone to be more developed, focusing only on the plot of Benjamin .

On the technical side , one cannot fail to mention the photography by Adrian Teijido - the same as the TV series A Pedra do Reino (2007) - which uses open plans and yellow colors gives local prominence and virtually isolated oas disabled who rejoice with a visit from one of the few sources of entertainment of those communities in the interior of Brazil ... The art direction of Claudio Amaral Peixoto and also uses the simpler scenarios and costumes Kika Lopes is one of the highlights with the use of warm colors during the colder and circus shows in moments of reflection and isolation of Benjamin. The soundtrack of Pliny Prophet - who had previously worked with Selton on Feliz Natal - emphasizes the use of accordions and string instruments, totally appropriate to rentals.

The comedy scenes throughout the movie have the most naive soul of the circus and at any time call for pornography or eschatology, creeping feature used by most national and international comedies. As director, Selton Mello is able to make the audience laugh with jokes framework provided only by the actors , and is capable of directing visually beautiful scenes poetically with frameworks inspired by the great masters of old cinema. Among some of these scenes, we can mention the sacking of Benjamin in the road all his "brothers" profession; scene Valdemar asking back the money and then returning to Lola because she would need, giving a beautiful lesson morale in the fire swallower, the scene of the return of Benjamin amid the spectacle and revealing to his father that he had found his true mission , and the final scene with a sequence plan accompanying the new member of the circus spectacles Hope getting compliments from everyone and finalizing the route with camera symbol in the film : the fan of the discovery of Benjamin . The Clown acts as fun as reflection and as a tribute to the art of the circus and it is no doubt one of the best Brazilian films released recently.

"Cats drink milk . Mice eat cheese. And I'm a clown"

Sorry Selton, but obviously you're no Charlie Chaplin, neither as an actor nor as a director. You need to learn the difference between "naive" and "simplistic". It was a fatal mistake to decide to utilize the creative cop-out of a narrator, who rather than commenting, only describes, and here sounds as if he's reading from subtitles for the visually impaired: he says "the people wait", and we see people waiting; he says "the little girl smiles", and we see the little girl smiling This becomes very tiresome very quickly. The pandering to each local mayor is amusing, the photography is well-done, and the music track appropriate. But all in all, it's very easy to understand why this movie didn't make the Academy's short list.