O Anjo Nasceu (1969)

U.S. Title: The Angel Was Born.
Synopsis: Two criminals, hiding from the police, seek refuge in a big house.
Appraisal: This is my second viewing of this film. I disliked it extremely the first time I saw it, but mistrusted my judgement. This is not a film that delivers its goods on a tray, if you know what I mean. It has a minimalistic mise-en-scene style and makes very original use of music, alternating popular songs and an atonal orchestral soundtrack.The story is the depiction of the activities of two outlaw 'desperados'. There is a strong bonding between them, which is possibly the thematic center of the movie. They have opposite personalities, but are equally ruthless and amoral. The violence in the movie is too caricatural to be really disturbing. Some sequences are just intentionally uneventful, and some things in the film are open to interpretation, such as the insertion of some fish drawings. I am not sure whether the film will work for everyone. At my first viewing, it left me cold; seeing it again, it somehow struck a chord in me, though I was a little put off by some details that I view as mere mannerisms.
As a side note, the lyrics of the songs, that might be incomprehensible to foreign viewers, may add to the film's strangeness. The first song sets the film in a disconcerting mood right in the beginning, since it tells the story of a brokenhearted man to a light melody and rhythm (that's not uncommon in Brazilian music of the 1930's and even later). By the middle of the film, the two protagonists dance together to a light old tune; believe it or not, its lyrics are from the point of view of a man who is mad at his lady, throws her in a kitchen sink and is happily surprised that she fits in there. The choice of the final song is again quite enigmatic as it tells the story of a man that leaves the poorer, northern region of Brazil for Rio de Janeiro. His mother told him to behave or God would punish him. Whether this is a comment on the origin, behavior and fate of the two protagonists is, like much of the film, open to interpretation. Finally, the title is the biggest enigma of all: what angel was born and when? And are angels born at all or do they live since forever?
Rating: 57