Not to be confused with the 2010 Joaquin Phoenix flick of the same title. I've been dragging my heels about watching the latest Academy Best Picture nominees, because few of them look like my type. I finally decided to go ahead with another when it came up on Netflix, not knowing much about it.
In 1970, military-run Brazil faces a lot of unrest. The Paiva family in Rio de Janeiro gets a taste of it when officers thoroughly search motorists for suspects. More importantly, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello) has been supporting expats, which his wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres), and their five kids don't seem to know -- until plainclothesmen arrest him. Asking about him yields incomplete answers at best and follow-up punishment at worst.
The POV moves around a bit, but Eunice gets the most focus. We see her spend 12 days interrogated in a different prison. Wikipedia mentions that this includes torture, but I assure you it's not physical like in the pic in my prior review. The rating is PG-13, with almost no on-screen violence.
I find that foreign films often show government officials committing unjust acts and never paying for it. In this case, it's true to real life. Brazil take a quarter-century just to admit what happened to Rubens. By that time, the Paivas are content with such a tiny sliver of vindication. Further reading tells me that the body's location has yet to be disclosed.
I'll note that the authorities on screen try not to present themselves as monsters. They put their guns away once it becomes apparent that nobody poses a credible threat. They take gentle tones of voice. Sometimes they express pity or act like polite guests or hosts. Of course, none of this justifies their harsher actions.
Perhaps the best aspect of the movie is in watching Eunice's behavior. She has to be tough to persevere, even long after her release from prison. She tries not to let her children, especially the younger ones, know how bad things have gotten. She never cries in front of anyone, reportedly in keeping with the RL Eunice Paiva.
The worst aspect? Well, the 138 minutes are longer than needed, in light of how few moments advance the plot. The beginning takes a while to let us know who or what the story's about; I suppose that's to increase our sympathy for all the Paivas, but it drags. The final scene, with a senile Eunice (Fernanda Montenegro, mother of Torres), doesn't add much either.
You may expect ISH to speak to today's U.S. leftists, what with questionable figures making questionable arrests and fearing communist subversion. I think U.S. conservatives should respect it all the same. Only the Bolsonarists deny its accuracy.
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