Play a Song for Me

In a small town in the countryside in the south of Brazil, a teenager that uses the codename Mr. Tambourine Man spends his time in Internet, at school, smoking pot with his best friend Diego and with his dysfunctional mother. He dreams on leaving his hometown to watch a Bob Dylan's show but seems to be hopeless stranded in the spot.

Despite the sophisticated title, "Os Famosos e os Duendes da Morte" is an overrated, boring, pretentious, confused and pointless film about lack of perspective in life that goes nowhere. The characters are not well developed and there is no explanation about the incident with the girl of Mr. Tambourine Man's daydreams and the stranger that returns to the town. My vote is one (awful).

Title (Brazil): "Os Famosos e os Duendes da Morte" ("The Famous and the Goblins of the Death")

This is a great Brazilian movie. With a extremely enjoyable and beautiful photography, the director Emis Filho tells a very personal history that makes you reflect about existentialism in a very determinate period of age: the teenage. The movie is about life, death, lonely and love... a very strange but sincere love.

Together with the flexible script, the actors provide a impressive naturality with the dialogues and also with the scenes where there's no conversations. Therewithal, we have a mystery on the history, but that's just part of the charm, because it is revealed with not so much noise.

Summarizing: The movie is just beautiful!

I saw this film at Valdivia's Film Festival last week and I loved it. I also met Esmir, he was a really cool guy, very enthusiastic and soulful and talented as well, and you can see all that in this film. It's a great movie, very well directed, superb acting, beautiful photography and perfect choice of music. It portrays a very surreal and psychedelic reality full of depth and emotion. It reminded me of "C.R.A.Z.Y." but this film has its own universe and pace, and it drags you I just wished it had ran a bit longer than 101 min, because I really wanted more, but at the same time I think it works perfectly. I'm not really into Brazilian films, I've seen a few, including "Cidade de Deus", so I could be wrong, but I don't think this movie has that Brazilian essence. Maybe it was because it takes place in a part of Brazil that is not very common to see which is Brazil's countryside. In my experience I've only seen a Brazil with crowded streets, very noisy and hectic, and that peculiar euphoria or enthusiasm all over the place, and this movie shows a completely different world. I swear I just wanna watch it again at least 3 times more.

Esmir Filho is none for his slice of life short films. Well he has finally taken the plunge into features and boy are we in for a treat. Moody, dark and at times downright creepy, The Famous and The Dead, deals with teenage angst better than most. Set in a small Brazilian town of German decent, our lead character (known only by his on line name, Mr. Tambourine Man) hangs out with his best buddy. Argues with his mom. Debates going to the town social and other wise lives the life of a typical youth. Enter the picture a mysterious figure from his past and things get turned on their collective heads. Filho is amazing at creating atmosphere, letting the camera linger when needed, leaving thing unsaid. He elicits a strong performance from his young stars. This is a great film from a rising young director!

'Os famosos e os duendes da morte' is a complex film which talks about depression, loneliness and the condition of the human being in a oppressive society. Once again, a film which don't follows a linear narrative with a begin,a middle and an end, but i'd think that there would be no other way to tell this story but in that somewhat 'non linear' way... But anyways...

This film shows how the Brazilian society repress the youngsters to do things in order to fit in the society standards. We have cleaver allegories about it. The suicide, in there, is the only way to be really free. Obviously, there isn't a subject which i'd agree, but the only way to the character, the main one, be free, is the suicide. It's seems that every person which suffers immensely have this willing. Does not matter the reason of the suffering; the suicide is the only way in this film. For sure, i can see all the poetry and etc in this film, but i'd strongly disagree with almost all the ideas depicted in there. The cinematography is good, we have a few good shots of the bridge, and the soundtrack is stunning... Being said, is a smart film and somewhat beautiful film...just not worthy of a re-watch. 6.5/10