Mostra Tiradentes

So last week in Tiradents, there was a little film festival. Lots of activities, lots of films, and lots of people actually. Although I didn't watch every single movie or go to any of the workshops or conferences, I thought it would be nice to share what I thought about some of the films I saw.

Wednesday, 27

DOIS MUNDOS
DIRECTOR(S): THEREZA JESSOUROUN
Documentary of people who were once deaf but had some kind of medical procedure to be able to hear again and what it's like adapting to sound and learning how to speak. I thought that the idea was kind of cool but it was pretty slow-paced and it lost my attention after the first interview.

C.E.A.S.A
DIRECTOR(S): ARNALDO BELOTTO
It was labeled as a documentary of this food warehouse. Umm, well, it was just random, trying-to-be creative shots of people walking around a warehouse. No point, no plot, no information, no speech, ambient audio for some but not all. Not impressed, maybe I just didn't get it?

OS INOCENTES
DIRECTOR(S): DAVI KOLB
Just like the film before, just set at a beach. This time I think they had a plot or a story but it wasn't very well conveyed. At least the water was pretty.

AVACA
DIRECTOR(S): GUSTAVO ROSA DE MOURA
Labeled "experimental" and that is exactly what it was. It was a film shown in backward time about the slaughter of a cow. It starts with 2 men walking(backwards) into a room and hanging up two big chucks of meat. It then proceeds to show the entire process of cutting away the skin, muscle, organs, bones, everything not wanted, all backwards, until you see a full, intact, but dead, cow laying on the floor. Although shot with different angles at different times, it all takes place in one room with the same two men. I personally thought it was vulgar and kind of disgusting, but also artful and interesting. They get a thumbs up from me!

REVERSO
DIRECTOR(S): FRANCISCO COLOMBO
This one was impressive. A short fiction all shot on one take. It's the story of one man, getting mugged, and then being forced to kill another man. For the first time in Brazil, I saw good acting and good cinematography. Although the story was a bit strange and awkward, the actors played it well and for one take, they handled it beautifully.

O PLANO DO CACHORRO
DIRECTOR(S): ARTHUR LINS AND ELY MARQUES
This film? Not so good, theres a guy dead in the street and another guy watching him. after a series of events pertaining to the one alive trying to do funny things to the one dead, turns out the dead one isn't dead, so he starts chasing him. you get a 5 min. chase scene ending in a dirt field where they beat each other up and then walk off there separate ways...

Friday, 29

SKATE OR DIE
DIRECTOR(S): VICTOR RIBEIRO
guy skates around, sees an x-girlfriend, then skates off into the sunset kind of story. although the story wasn't to great, I thought that the editing team did a good job, good direction.

ENQUANTO ISSO
DIRECTOR(S): VITOR LEITE
A story of a partially deaf guy and a girl hooking up during school during 9-11. The story was well played and the setting was surreal due to my memory of those events. It was a very, kids your dismissed, kind of idea but because they wanted to know, they all gathered to watch the news. Very different from what happened to me... I enjoyed it but it wasn't the best film...

MAIS UMA NOITE
DIRECTOR(S): LUÍS EDUARDO AMARAL E PEDRO MORELLI
Two people meet in a club. The guy is egged to try to get her to kiss her by his friends while she is looking for something more romantic. Cliche idea in an cliche place. Everything completely predictable... Thumbs down.

A DISTRAÇÃO DE IVAN
DIRECTOR(S): CAVI BORGES E GUSTAVO MELO
A cute little story about a small child. At first, a soccer ball goes over the wall at his house and his mom pops it, yelling at the guys playing. Later, he's playing with his friends and the guy whose soccer ball was popped, destroys his ball starting a yelling fight between the kids and this one guy. After, the child leaves and goes on a bike ride to think about the passing events. Nice story, enjoyable.

PASTOREIO
DIRECTOR(S): ALEXANDRE R. GARCIA
This film totally hit me by surprise. It's a documentary of an urban shepherd. It's just shots of him and his sheep traversing across a town. The police stop traffic so he can lead them across the street, he hangs out with the sheep in a park with people playing sports, takes a lunch break, and he's back at it. I know when I think of shepherds, you think out in the countryside, but no, not this guy, downtown with a flock of sheep is his pasture.

FOME DE BOLA
DIRECTOR(S): ISAAC CHUEKE
Being completely biased due to an overdose of soccer here in Brazil, I thought this was quite a boring and uneventful film. A documentary about some game that some team is in. apparently this team was on a loosing streak and well, they lost again. Pointless if you asked me, at least it was well made though. Good shots and decent editing...

HOMEM DOIM
DIRECTOR(S): FAUSTO JUNIOR
Heh heh, a short animation of peanuts in the form of people dancing around. Pretty stupid but fun.

PESCARIA DE MERDA
DIRECTOR(S): COLETIVO SANTA MADEIRA
A documentary of some people who fish out lots of garbage out a polluted river. They clean it up and then put it on display in there shop with a sign saying "Lost & Found". Good concept, nice.

ALGUÉM TEM QUE HONRAR ESSA DERROTA!
DIRECTOR(S): LEONARDO ESTEVES
Apparently this film was shot at random during a day of Carnival (Mardi Gras) script-less, they try to create a story out of close to random shots. They almost succeeded, it wasn't too bad.

Saturday, 30

VIDA VERTIGINOSA
DIRECTOR(S): LUIZ CARLOS LACERDA
An actress tells her counterparts stories that have occurred to her in the past. Bad cinematography, good editing, invisible direction, good acting, bad story. I actually really didn't like the film...

OURO BRANCO
DIRECTOR(S): ELZA CATALDO
I'd tell you about this film but I almost fell asleep during it. Probably one of the most boring films I've seen. Good cinematography and compositing though. Live actors half the time put onto animated backgrounds, mostly on different layers so at least that was nice... Other wise, thumbs down.


ELVIS E MADONA
DIRECTOR(S): MARCELO LAFFITTE
Best film of the festival! The story of a transvestite(male) and a lesbian woman who fall in love. Extremely funny film, the girl gets pregnant and decides to bring her 'boyfriend' to meet her parents so he has to act and look like a guy for what seems to be the first time in his life. A very strange, switching of girlfriend/boyfriend, roles. Wonderful acting, good cinematography, editing, direction and the script was amazing. Hilarious, two thumbs and a big tow up!


Over all, the film festival was pretty good, lots of good films aside from the horrible ones. They were very hit or miss here. A pleasant experience.