Comme une image (2004)

English titles: Look at Me; Like an Image.

A plump adolescent girl suffers from low self-esteem, made worse by the egocentric behavior of her father, a famous writer. She meets a young man of Arab ethnicity who becomes interested in her. Her vocal coach is married to another writer, who becomes sort of best friends with the girl's father.

An intelligent film about how the images one makes of others and of oneself are a basic driving force in human behavior. The film succeeds in achieving an overall psychological verisimilitude, but some flaws are nevertheless quite evident. For example, some characters are pretty much one-note tunes, so to speak. This is most conspicuous in the young singer's father, but it is also visible in his assistant, who is made to behave invariably in a self-humiliating way due to a debt of gratitude towards his employer. This character was not very believable, especially as his past as a political activist affords different expectations about him. There is also a verisimilitude problem in the portrayal of television literary shows, which in the film resemble a popular carnival ball (carnival the holiday, not the amusement park). I have seen a few of these literary shows and, really, they don't look anything like that. A little exaggeration is part of any satire but here the filmmakers are just being silly and snobbish. But perhaps the film's major problem is that it has too many subplots.

Rating: 63

Boleiros - Era uma Vez o Futebol... (1998)

A group of retired soccer players gets together and recollect old stories involving soccer. One story features a soccer instructor who encounters a mysterious boy who is a soccer genius. Another storyteller recalls the time when he had just arrived in São Paulo and had to stay in the same bedroom with a star player who was also a womanizer. Another story concerns an evening in the life of a rising player who is considering playing for an Italian team. Yet another one is about a reporter who wants to interview a formerly famous player who is rumored to be facing financial troubles.

A faithful account of the human side of soccer, as it was before. There is humor and there is pathos, sometimes inextricably mixed. An important film for Brazilians, and even more so for those who live in São Paulo.

Rating: 57

Crna macka, beli macor (1998)

English title: Black Cat, White Cat.

A man forces his son to marry a gangster's sister in order to settle a debt.

The images are a catalogue of bizarreness. This translates into a spiritual panel of central Europe, somewhat diluted into a plot which is not devoid of childishness.

Rating: 55

Kedma (2002)

In 1948, days before the creation of the state of Israel, some immigrants arrive to its territory, coming from Europe. They are immediately immersed in the conflict with the Arabs, and with the British.

It has interesting moments, but they mostly rely on theatrical bursts which are interspersed with slow-paced and poorly filmed action.

Rating: 41

Masterminds (1997)

A smart but rebellious kid gets trapped in a school when it is seized by kidnappers.

It is enjoyable on a scene-by-scene basis, thanks to an eventful script, and is nicely wrapped up by a smart ending. On the whole, slightly interesting.

Rating: 50