Aquarius

Quiet, precise and profoundly critical, Aquarius is a sharp depiction of an ever changing, ever adapting Brazilian society, increasingly subject to a disproportionate capitalism that is bulldozing over identity, history and sentiment.

Split into three chapters - one of them construed as a prologue - there would not be a better way of introducing who this(ese) character(s) is(are) and setting up what their nature is, what motivates them and what kind of culture, family values and roots they hold throughout. Led by a powerful and heartfelt performance by Sónia Braga that single-handedly carries the film, meticulously embodying all of the character's traits in her continuous struggles with motherhood, disease, change and most importantly time lapse. Her artistic preferences and passions show how a deeply and typically traditional society can still honor and maintain their culture while not being averse to technology, change and evolution.

At the end of the day, Aquarius is an elegant tale of how opinions and values change with time and how easily the current generation might be bent and influenced by money and greed and how that greed can easily stampede over traditionalism. A definite must see.

It is sad that a powerful movie like this is contaminated by political ideology from both sides. Although I don't necessarily agree with any of the positions brought forth by the makers of this movie, this is still a fantastic piece of art, a fantastic story about the struggles of a middle-aged woman against not only a very real real estate speculation movement in Brazil, but also against her past, the upper-middle class blame, the old age labels, her family, all directed by probably the greatest living director of Brazil today.

From IMDb synopsis, Clara, a 65-year-old upper-middle class mother of 3 children, refuses to sell her apartment, the last still occupied, to a big real estate company, built in the upper class, seaside Boa Viagem Avenue, Recife. Pledging to only leave her place upon her death, her building is probably the last remnant of a not so long ago past. Facing this conflict ahead mostly by herself, she will reflect upon her past and future and give her new strength.

Although the story can seem to be a bit clichéd, the movie excels in representing a middle-aged woman in an unique and independent way, something rarely seen in movies, where usually these characters are simply secondary, caricatures. There will be no big reveals and big turns, it is a mostly linear story (quite different from Kleber Mendonça Filho last movie, "O Som ao Redor", also critically acclaimed). But the way the director tells the story is what is so great. With a technique so sharp, he creates tension throughout the whole movie in ordinary situations (his trademark, an influence from John Carpenter), like in the scene where Clara and the real estate manager are simply maneuvering cars in the building's garage. This tension is what carries the whole movie, until the powerful ending.

In addition, the greater part of the movie has no actual direct connection to the its apparent central plot. Clara attending parties, talking to the lifesaver, walking with her nephew, having family meeting is what fleshes out her character, telling so much about her personality and her past indirectly, and this is the film's greatest strength. The moment she has with her 3 kids is maybe one of the greatest scenes in Brazilian cinema.

Forget all the political ideology. Watch it for what this movie really is, a powerful, fantastic piece of art.

I did not react to Aquarius session end, I left the movie anaesthetized, not knowing what to think. Complex films like this do not involve value judgments. As the scenes were sat in memory (pictures, lines, track, details), things became more Clear. Clara (Clear, in Portuguese), by the way, is the name of the character of Sonia Braga, an old woman, a retired music critic, who decides to fight against a conglomerate of construction, preventing the building is demolished. With this wisp of plot, the young and talented director Kleber Mendonça, speaks of memory, time, social, loss, resistance, prejudice, ethics, preservation ... It's such a rich work that would need to be watched more times for an accurate and faithful analysis. There are moments of delicacy that made me breath away. The first part of the film, Clara's hair is bright. Unable to hold back tears. Aquarius is authorial film, which does not follow formulas, is not related to cinematographic conventions, is not entertainment. It was done to annoy, make the viewer to think and question. Do not expect the impact of City of God, or the catharsis of Central Station, Aquarius has another footprint.

Aquarius is a movie that tries to catch the audience by showing our almost forgotten resilience, commitment to individual values and beliefs. The main plot is a story about a wealthy lady facing a frequent and "polite" invitation to sell her apartment for a greedy and ruthless real state company who wants to put down her old building. Meanwhile, she not only tries to keep her place, but to buy other units.

Movie's director, Kleber Mendonça, is a very skilled storyteller when it comes to expose the most bitter side of Brazilian's contradictory elite society. I've watched all his movies and shorts and I must tell, they are not comfortable. Yet they disclose things that either we don't talk about or we don't clearly see. It's a mind blowing criticism over our cultural trends and social costumes.

As for the main actress, Sonia Braga is one of the most iconic actresses in Brazil. She moved to US to live a relationship with Robert Redford, another great actor and director. As years passed by, she did connected with America's movie industry, though she never left her carrier in Brazil entirely.

In 2013 Kleber wrote a script that according to Sonia, while reading it, was a "present" from its author. So he invited her and she promptly replied. The result is this movie where, as The Telegraph correctly said, "will make you want to move to Brazil".

Greetings again from the darkness. If you were an avid movie-goer in the 1970's, you likely fell in love with Sonia Braga while watching Dona and Her Two Husbands (1976) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1978). Those movies catapulted the Brazilian actress to global stardom, and a long career limited only by some regrettable script choices.

Writer/director Kleber Mendonca Filbo wisely casts Ms. Braga in the lead of his latest, and she delivers what may be her best performance ever … and certainly one of the best by any actress this year. Clara is the lone holdout in a beachfront apartment complex against a corporate developer intent on modernizing the old building in order to maximize profits.

The film is divided into three parts: "Clara's Hair", "Clara's Love", and "Clara's Cancer". The initial segment is set in 1980 when Clara is recovering from cancer treatment and is attending the 70th birthday party for her beloved Aunt Lucia (Thaia Perez). Lucia's flashbacks to her younger days bring a subtle smile to her face, while providing parallels to what we see later with Clara. Some secrets from family are treasured memories, not meant to be shared. As the story moves forward, we grow to admire and respect Clara and join in her defiance of the smirky hotshot developer.

The big company bullying the old lady would be an interesting and predictable story, but here it's secondary to the story of a strong woman – a woman who overcomes cancer, carries on after the death of her husband, fights to keep her home, and generally lives life on her own terms. She maintains her strength and dignity despite outside influences.

A recurring theme throughout is "old vs. new". From the first sequence with the "old" Aunt passing the baton to her younger niece, to the old lady battling the young developer in order to prevent the historic building from being turned into a modern co-op, to the contrast of the vinyl records of Clara's collection to the digital music of the younger generation, to Clara's preference for actual phone calls to texting. It's the classic now versus then argument, and it's summed up by Clara's line to her kids: "When you like it, it's vintage. When you don't, it's old." There are some similarities to Sebastian Lelo's 2013 film Gloria, which featured an exceptional performance from Paulina Garcia, and this one utilizes some terrific "little" scenes … conversations with family and daily life with her housekeeper – all while staying close to a glass of wine, her favorite music, a cozy hammock, and her Barry Lyndon poster. While the ending is a bit disappointing, and Brazilian politics prevented it from being that country's Oscar submission, those don't negatively impact the strength of Sonia Braga's Oscar worthy performance as we rejoice in the strength of an independent woman.