Two ex-convicts are hired by the Devil to manage a small town cemetery.
Maiquél has lost a bet and dyed his hair blond. This seemingly innocuous event triggers a head-on collision with destiny in which he goes from nobody to hero to outlaw — all in 24 hours.
"Portraits and excerpts from Brazilian films from all times. Actors, directors and images that affirm cinema."
An eccentric scientist in the Amazon jungle rejects his research assistant for being a woman, but as bulldozers threaten their work on a potential cancer cure, they learn to collaborate and begin to fall in love.
Shady and beautiful art dealer involves her former lover and an art expert in a scheme to deceive a rich collector. Exposed, she escapes with her new lover, a pilot.
The Caravana Rolidei rolls into town with the Gypsy Lord at the mike: he does magic tricks, the erotic Salomé dances, and the mute Swallow performs feats of strength. A young accordion player is completely enamored of Salomé, and he begs to come along. The Gypsy Lord shrugs, and the accordionist and his pregnant wife, Dasdô, join the troupe.
After the death of her handsome but good-for-nothing husband Vadinho, Flor, a widow, marries Dr. Teodoro, a respectable gentleman. Hilarity ensues when Vadinho's spirit returns into her life.
During a remake of the play Tristan and Isolde, actors Pedro and Ana fall in love. While the characters live an idealized love, the interpreters are living a true story, which they try to spice it up with the intensity of the fiction.
Elected major of the small city of Sucupira, after unfortunate situation, Odorico must open the city cemitery and face acusations of being corrupt, to end his term on good terms with the people.
The real story of the failed attempt of an independence coup by a group of intellectuals and rich men during Brazil's colonial days, from its beginning to the execution of Tiradentes.
The story of the great train robber Ronald Biggs.
Three children are caught in school with an erotic book. His parents are called by the leadership to discuss the problem. During the meeting, comes to surface the love and sexual problems of these three couples; such as lack of desire, betrayal, love, passion, insecurity and provocations.
Young, rich, and randy Gloria takes the family motorboat for some fun in the sun off the coast of Brazil. Along with her are her longtime boyfriend Danny, his best friend Jeff, and the son of an important and infinitely influential client, Marcos. It probably wasn't a good idea to take three gorgeous men the same age out on a boat with a bikini-clad beauty who lately has been questioning her relationship with her main squeeze, but it gets even worse than expected. There's tragedy, betrayal, and more tragedy as the faulty value systems of the wealthy brats spin out of control.
Biography of Brazilian congressman Tenório Cavalcanti, who used to appear in public carrying a machine-gun, and wearing a black cloak.
Earning her living by dubbing American TV Series, a woman dreams of becoming an international Hollywood star.
Giovanni Improtta is a criminal who wants to climb the social ladder and become a law-abiding citizen. To achieve it, he commits some more crimes He is betrayed, and ends up under the spotlight of the media and the radar of the police, falsely charged for murder.
The youngest daughter of a rich man has been raped by five black men in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, and her father arranges her marriage to one of his employees in order to save the family’s honor.
Wagner is a 22-year old Brazilian guy, who dreams about leaving the country for a better life, until he meets Justina, an experienced woman who turns his life upside down. Together they will discover that life has a lot more to offer.
After her parents were killed by a troupe of soldiers in search of Lampião, an outlaw living in Northeastern Brazil, Maria marries Filipe, a horse whisperer. But his nephew Coriolano soon develops an attraction for Maria, while a jealous Filipe decides to break his marriage and sends Maria away.
The film tells the story of an intuitive, adventurous man who loved his country and being Brazilian. This man fought to be loyal to himself. His music is a transparent portrait of his genius, intuition, freedom, adventure and passion for Brazil.
Luiza is an architect who just got out of a ruinous relationship. Gabriel is a biologist and he has finished a long marriage with divorce. When they both meet, chances that they can do well together are not that big. But they will try to, even if their friends Barata (a convict bachelor totally skeptical when it comes to love) and Marta (a mathematic analyst who wishes that human relations were just as exact as numbers are) think otherwise.
Maria is a sweet child. She hasn’t father and doesn’t like her mother. She has a boyfriend, A bandit who would like to change his class.
The romanced story of Xica da Silva, a slave that used her "feminine atributes" in order to get power.
1943, World War II. The northeastern coast of Brazil is an strategic region for the Allies. Giancarlo, an Italian immigrant married to a Brazilian woman, lives nearby the Parnamirin Field, the largest military base built by the USA outside of their territory. In this new base, Brazilian recruits who speak English suddenly find themselves reaching privileged positions.
A couple, Lauro and Renata, travels to a remote area surrounded by rain forest in Rio De Janeiro. Once they are there, Lauro is told by a bar owner that gruesome murders are taking place in that area. Intending to keep this information hidden from his girlfriend, Lauro and Renata discover they might be not alone when staying in a isolated house.
Antônio is an astrophysicist who has just found out he has an inoperable brain tumor. After decades living in the United States, he returns to Brazil and tries to learn more about his biological mother. His quest sends him off into the slums of Rio de Janeiro.
Maria Auxiliadora is a 24 year-old woman very poor, that she lives Joana, her 7 year-old daughter close to. Needing go look for the result of Joana's exam in the hospital, Maria asks the priest of the local church that takes care of her to return. In spite of Joana's insistence to go with the mother Maria insists that she is with the priest, because she distrusts that her daughter suffers of a serious disease. To entertain the girl while it awaits the mother's return, the priest decides to tell her a mother's history that dedicated her life to the son: Mary, mother of Jesus Christ.
The story of a German scientist/stage magician eking out a miserly life in Rio de Janeiro's favelas until getting involved in an improbable kidnapping and ransom plot.
Commander Vasco Moscoso de Aragão entertains the small town of Periperi with the stories of his many adventures travelling around the world as a captain of the merchant navy. Stubborn Chico Pacheco is the only one in town who doesn't believe his tales.
True story of Brazilian bank clerk who supplied money for the guerrilla fighting against the military dictatorship of the 70s. When he changes his disguise, he gets involved with high society, and with industrialists who were financing repression to the groups he stood for.
Felício, an old comedian, is in decadence after his partner Mandarim's suicide. When he finds out his former love Paloma has died, he leaves São Paulo and heads for the faraway State of Piauí, North of Brazil, in search of a new partner. He believes that if he manages to find him, the good times will return.
A shockingly irreverent follow-up to the rural austerity of Barren Lives, dos Santos’ Godardian social satire owes more than a nod to the self-conscious antics of the French New Wave. The pampered son of a general, El Justicero is a hipster playboy who fancies himself a James Bond/Jean Paul Sartre urban hero. “Archetypical” yet “full of contradictions,” he sees that justice is achieved for the disadvantaged while taking advantage of certain bourgeois perks. His exploits are closely followed and eventually directed by his biographer who decides a film is not only more lucrative than a book, but it gives him the luxury of reviewing previous scenes. Unlike Bond, El Jus eventually experiences an awakening which threatens to compromise the entertainment value and glamour of his life story. - Harvard Film Archive
The life of Brazilian actress Leila Diniz.
Based on Guimarães Rosa's (classic Brazilian author) short story, the movie tells the story of Augusto Matraga, a bankrupt and violent farmer who lives above the Law in Minas Gerais' hinterland. During a difficult time, he finds himself in the middle of a trap that nearly kills him. Born again, Matraga resorts to faith and hard work in the pursuit of redemption. Years later, he arrives at the village reigned by the hinterland's ruler and his thugs. This new friendship will challenge his destiny. Inside Matraga, the Saint and the Warrior will duel until his time comes.
The story of the first steps of a very young couple. Their love is great, as are the financial obstacles and an unexpected pregnancy.
Parable about the 1964 military coup in Brazil, where three characters unite through the exercise of the word.
A rescue of the history of Ipanema beach in the 1970s, when the construction of a pier changed the landscape and created fertile soil for a generation of artists and sportsmen.
The heroes of Golden Oldies 1— Juca, PR, and Montanha — are back, following different routes. Montanha lives in an old mansion and gets ready to reunite with his friends. Once together again, the three friends get into hilarious situations.
After visiting a fortune teller, Zulmira is informed that a blonde woman will threaten her peace. After talking to her husband Toninho, she suspects that her cousin Glorinha may be that blonde.
To save the family from bankruptcy, Christopher Columbus convinces friends Leonardo da Vinci and Mona Lisa to go to a treasure island. On the trip, they are attacked by the Beast Nautilus
In this comedy adaptation of Machado De Assis (1839-1908) novel, a young widow writes letters to a friend telling about her days as a married woman and the special relationship she had with Emílio, a friend of the couple who becomes her adoring lover.
The story of João "Jango" Goulart, the Brazilian left-wing president deposed by the military.
The story of Rio de Janeiro’s movie theaters and the radical transformation they have endured since the invention of Cinema.
The film tells a little of the history of Brazil immersed in the caricature of the conditions of making cinema in this country. Flora and Carlos Manoel fall in love. She, from a family linked to the Monarchy, and he, a republican activist, live their love in the last days of the monarchy, without knowing that the end of the empire would also mean the end of their romance.
In this highly stylized Brazilian drama a sax player fondly remembers one wonderful night spent with his life's love and decides to find her again. He embarks upon a quest through the wild streets of Rio to find her. Along the way he meets an assortment of odd urban underworld characters.
In Copacabana, lesbian photographer Elvis is hired to deliver pizzas in the night shift on her motorcycle. Her first assignment is a delivery to the transgender hairdresser Lady Madonna, whom she falls in love with.
A film director and his wife retreat to the countryside to escape personal and professional struggles. With their autistic son, they seek a fresh start in a freer, more natural life.
Play written by Qorpo Santo, in 1866, about a love triangle in which the husband kills his rival in the name of honor, pride, dignity and national integrity.
A poor college student becomes a homosexual millionaire's lover in order to get ahead in life. The latter marries a woman for convenience, and the newlyweds end up sharing the young man.
Filming of the historical montage of Oswald de Andrade's play, where decadent millionaires, depraved children, corrupt and implacable capitalists are the characters interpreted by the Grupo Oficina, in a celebrated theatrical performance from 1967, fundamentally recorded in 1971 and released only in the 1980s.
Four friends who only think about enjoying life, with big parties, women and drinks, are surprised by an eviction. In need of money, the group is forced to think about what they hate most: working! Confusion arises when everyone looks for an easy way to get money, with minimum effort. The days pass and the hilarious confusion only increases!
Hannan is a brilliant Talmudic scholar who is constantly searching for something that not even he knows exactly what it is, living in the anguish of constant existential crises. He delves into the mystical arts of Kabbalah, seeking answers to his questions, in addition to traveling to countless places.
The story of two couples - Xico and Olga, Tuca and Dina - through 20 years of friendship, from adolescent dreams to maturity frustrations. They meet in a small town in the State of São Paulo, but one of the couples decides to try their luck in the big city. As background, the political events in the 60's and 70's, and how they affect their lives.
During the Brazilian military government, journalist Estêvão is sent from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia to cover the important statement of a minister, but takes the opportunity to deliver incriminating documents to another one.
In the early 17th century, the Dutch have occupied Bom Jesus village, the last native stronghold in the Pernambuco captaincy. An adventurer, João Fernandes Vieira, sees himself in the middle of a conflict, torn between joining his friend Mauricio de Nassau alongside the ruling Dutch and siding with his lover Ana Paes in the fight to free his homeland.
At the end of the 19th century, a poor family comes to the rural Canudos, a community led by Antônio Conselheiro, seen by many as a holy prophet. Their ways bother the powerful people of the region, and the newly founded Republic sends their army to destroy the settlement, which culminates in one of the bloodiest wars in the history of Brazil.
Clara directs the rehearsals of a theatrical play about Fernando Pessoa while constantly seeking the right man and the love of his life. One of the actresses is the lesbian Ana, who interprets the poet Mário de Sá Carneiro. She is Clara's friend and confidant with whom she shares an apartment. Clara does not perceive Ana's love for her, that always helps her to recover from the disappointments. Unlike the character Sá Carneiro, poet of decadentism, nostalgia, metaphysics and vague, Ana is the pragmatic side of Clara, who often brings a disillusioned vision as if it were Fernando Pessoa himself, who may be associated with concepts of the poet's heteronyms.
Employees on a local supermarket plot an epic heist for robbing the place's vault, but things start to go wrong when they notice a police detective on their heels.
A light-hearted and high-spirited story, full of spice, sensuality and romance, Viva Zapato tells the tale of Dolores, a beautiful Cuban dancer who decides to leave her failing marriage and open a restaurant by the beach with her aunt from Brazil. When her aunt sends her a pair of shoes instead of the money to start up the restaurant, she angrily sells the useless gift for spare change. Her dream fades away - until she discovers that the money was hidden in the heel. The zany search for the shoes begins, as she follows the footsteps through the lively streets of Havana, running into the quirky, colorful characters that bring Viva Zapato and Dolores' dream.
A portrait of conteporary China from Tai-chi-chuan to chinese arts.
Pedro, a poor Portuguese immigrant, comes to Brazil to try to change his life, but ends up getting in trouble. He falls in love with the wife of one of his best friends and marries her; soon after, she cheats on him.
Two years of research and visits to collections, cinematheques and museums; almost seventy interviews that generated 30 hours of recorded material; more than two hundred scanned photos and more than one hundred films watched. In total, more than a thousand hours of work were needed to prepare Brazilian Cinema in the 20th Century. The work is a fascinating journey through all the cinematic cycles that Brazil lived, from the pioneering Belle Époque, through the great studios like Atlântica and Cinédia, Cinema Novo, the urban comedies of the 70's, until the resumption in the late 90's. The documentary is unique, it gives the floor to who really wrote and lived this story intensely.
The life of a famous Brazilian film and television actor, including testimonials from people who knew him and worked with him, as well as excerpts from films and videos in which he acted.
Erotic comedy in four episodes loosely inspired by the 'Black Book of Love' by Marquês de Sade, whose stories were merged and reassembled with different treatments in each episode.
In six decades, Teatro Oficina has done more than revolutionize theatrical language in the country: the aesthetic influence of José Celso Martinez Corrêa's company extends from Tropicalism to the renewal of Brazilian audiovisual languages from the 1960s onwards. The film revisits a story that it involves personalities such as Caetano Veloso, Glauber Rocha, Lina Bo Bardi, Chico Buarque and Zé do Caixão, brings together scenic art, ecology, architecture and sexuality, and mixes art and life in the search for a Brazilian based language.
Célio Rocha believes he was assigned by God Himself a difficult mission: to persuade his childhood friend Otávio Sabóia, a corrupt entrepeneur in the construction business, to give away all his possessions to the poor.
The documentary VINTE - RioFilme, 20 anos de cinema brasileiro is a celebration of these two decades of Brazilian cinema, revealing the role of RioFilme in its recent history. Created in late 1992, shortly after the impeachment of Fernando Collor and shortly before the Audiovisual Law, RioFilme is the daughter of our democratic consolidation and the mother of the recovery, which contributed to and often inaugurated different phases of Brazilian cinema, until the current strengthening of its economy and the multiplication of the diversity of its films.
In a circus, the big act is that of the knife thrower, assisted by his wife. The couple takes risks in real life, in a show of great skill and coldness, which respects a blood treaty.
An anthology film following different stories around the theme of invisibility in the modern world.