Paraísos Artificiais

A couple of days ago a friend of mine recommended me this movie. But I didn't make much case about it. Tonight, out of blue while I was on YouTube this movie showed up on my recommendations videos, then I gave it a chance.

Funny how this was exactly the kind of movie I was expecting to watch before sleep: some good sex scenes, some shallow and deep conversations, some good and bad acted scenes and a way good soundtrack.

To finish, the hippie guy on the bus has some trippy and remarkable quotes to share all over the movie. "Você é o que sente..."

Today, Nathalia Dill (DJ Érika) is one of the top actresses in the country, invariably in the trendings. Fame & Fortune. Then people wonder when they will make "Artificial Paradises - Part 2" to enjoy a little caron in their aura of good energies. I've heard someone giving such a suggestion out there in the online forums of movie buffs (where bullshit ends in death duels). But why would they do a second movie ?! There is no reason. The heroic journeys were closed and the theme is not exactly that of one of those Paulo Gustavo style comedies that can recycle jokes from year to year to continue being blockbuster. Dramas at Brazilian Cinema are more to flop than hit. Minimum installment is captivated and interested. "Artificial Paradises" may not be a pearl like "Central Station", our cinematic jabuticaba, but it is not a total misfortune to be burned in the public square. There is something that can trap the viewer, even if it is only the sex scenes of the trio of protagonists, since the nudity convince the public to give a chance to the plot even if it is lousy, or the unpleasant consequences of the exaggeration in drugs (bad trips they have an end).

This movie is going to be a hard one for me to review. Looking at the rating you can see it's probably not my favorite but this movie has a spot in my 're-watchable' folder. There's a bit of everything in this movie, a bit of good and a bit of bad. Some might find the story really predictable, in fact I found it a bit predictable but what sold me was the Characters and their acting along with the direction and the editing. The intertwined timelines and the direction of the story was really nice to see. I liked the character development, kept me drawn in till the end. The editing was really nice too, some beautiful colors and scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. If you've got a slow evening then I don't see why you won't enjoy it too.

You could reduce the movie to its core message, but it wouldn't be fair to the story itself. And it's nicely edited (with time-lines crossing and giving you bits and pieces to swallow), even though it should be more than predictable early on. Then again there is a spin on that too. And there is some nudity and a lot of music and a lot of partying. "Of course" all that comes with a price.

You could say the bad tries to creep into the good moments someone is having. Like a balance, like yin-yang or whatever you want to call it. Decisions are made and people have to live with the consequences of their decisions. So life then ... as we know it. The acting is nice and the framing/colors are really putting you in the mood. "Enjoying" the movie would be a stretch, but it's powerful at times

To preface - I originally had no intention of watching this film due to the relatively poor reviews found on this site, as well as what I thought would be a shallow story about sex, drugs, and raves. It was pretty random that I ended up seeing this, and when I started the movie I wasn't expecting to watch much more than 5 minutes of it.

Fortunately, I sat through to the end and am very glad I did. The artfully told story and solid acting kept me hooked, though some of the scenes were admittedly a little stretched out. The story is split into three time periods of the character's lives, switching back and forth throughout the movie. As the viewer, you begin to piece together the story and relationships, and make sense of earlier scenes until you have a full picture at the end, which will stick with you for days.

This is not at all the shallow movie I was expecting. Instead, it was a gripping story about love and drugs - how they shape relationships - and a deeper look into artificial paradises. Solid acting, multi-dimensional characters and great cinematography all add to the viewing experience. This is a great addition to Brazilian Cinema which I will add to my favorites along with Tropa de Elite I&II, Cidade de Deus, and Central do Brasil. I strongly recommend it.