Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas

Oh, well! First time I saw this I was in high school. I've read the book a thousand times before, and I was kinda afraid of the potential movie disaster, but this and lots of other movies proves that only Brazilian can make a movie based on a novel that would satisfy any of the previous readers! As said before, having no climax is just point of the story, so that's a completely invalid statement. Reginaldo Farias couldn't have done a most accurate picture of Brás, and the sarcasm is everywhere. There may be moments in the book that no images can explain, but still, that's as perfect as it could ever get! Just a great movie.

I don't know if this movie was made by a fan of the book, but it sure seems like it. It has no climax, and to some degree, knowing Brás Cubas, you want it to happen like that. The movie even starts with the burial of Brás Cubas; it can't be more anticlimactic than that, and I love the book and the movie-that's a perfect adaptation. After wearing tight boots for so long, I always remember what Brás Cubas said about that, and I agree with it: "Boots...tight boots are one of the greatest adventures on earth, because, by making your feet hurt, they give rise to the pleasure of taking them off..." After reading the book, this phrase stayed in my head, and I always remember it when I take my boots off.

It´s a very good movie. The director was very faithful with the book "Mémorias Postumas de Brás Cubas", but as the book, the movie is too deep and have a lot of signs that makes the movie be a little non sense to the foreigners and the Brazilians that didnt study at school about the writer.

Reginaldo Faria is perfect playing Brás Cubas, he gives the exactly kind of humor - ironic- that the character demands. The music and the way to pass the time is very dynamic and interesting. The movie can be funny for the most of the people, but for the ones that read the book is just perfect!

It's obvious it has no climax, the plot is about NOT having a climax. The main DEAD character, Cubas, is using such subliminal humor in a way to show some kind of regret for having built NOTHING solid during his life time. His existence was EMPTY. He just lived and died. That is why there is no climax! This is no bla-bla-bla-oh-there-should-be-some-happy-yap-yup-climax-honey romance, this is realism! Having a climax would screw the entire plot! The movie might not be perfect in showing this the way the novel does, but it does, and if you didn't noticed, well, you should then just read Brás Cubas's Posthumous Memories, the novel, by Machado De Assis. You won't regret.

"After he died, in the middle of 1869, Brás Cubas decided to narrate his story and revisit the most important facts of his life, in order to distract himself in eternity. From then on, he remembered friends like Quincas Borba, his careless academic training in Portugal, the loves of his life and the privilege he had of never having to work in his life".

I found it much better than the book, as it doesn't get lost in scenario descriptions and brings the viewer much closer to the main character. It even has a comedic tone that works much better in this format than in reading.

This film turns out to be more focused on the personal drama of the character, not being a comedy per se but having very funny moments.