An Oscar nomination for Best Picture has been awarded to this thriller, written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. It is set in Brazil in 1977, when the country was under the control of a military dictatorship. Professor Armando Solimões (Wagner Moura – also Oscar nominated), becomes embroiled in plans to resist the authoritarian regime and fleas to Recife in the north of the country where his son lives with his in-laws.
That summary barely scratches the surface and it takes quite a while for the plot to reveal itself. But it is never less than gripping, starting with Armando’s encounter with a dead body and corrupt cops at a petrol station that really sets the mood. Filho really captures the period and it is filmed in a scrappy way to make it feel like a movie from the mid 70’s.
Moura dominates the film and is excellent though the extensive cast is littered with eye catching performances. Those include Udo Kier, in his final role, as a holocaust survivor, Hermilia Guedes as a fellow refugee who Armando begins a relationship with and Carlos Francisco as his dignified father in law. Maria Fernanda Cândido is good in a pivotal role as a resistance leader and Laura Lufé and Isadora Ruppert are impressive as modern day researchers.
I thought the whole film was enthralling but it really kicks into life in the last 40 minutes or so. A hitman hired to kill Armando tracks him down and violence erupts as his prey tries to escape. The action then suddenly moves to the present day, delivering a devastating update in an inventive way, with a touching scene to close out the story.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10