Director: Cao Hamburger
Studio: City Lights DV600145
Video: 16:9 widescreen color
Audio: Portuguese/Hebrew DD 5.1, DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, Spanish, closed captions
Extras: “Inside the Movie,” Interview with cast and crew, Extended scenes and outtakes, U.S. & international trailers
Length: 105 minutes
Rating: ****
This nostalgic and in the end sad story of one little boy’s coming-of-age was Brazil’s 2007 entry for the foreign-film Oscar. It takes place during the years of the oppressive military regime in the 1970s and the 12-year-old is suddenly left in front of the apartment building of his grandfather by the rushing parents who are in hurry to go into exile from the authorities due to their political activities. Not only is his grandfather not home but at his barbershop he falls over dead, and the boy is left in the unwelcome care of a man living down the hallway from the grandfather’s apartment. Others in the neighborhood eventually do their part.
The boy slowly becomes absorbed into the life of the mostly Jewish quarter of Sao Paulo, where not only himself but everyone is caught up in the excitement of watching Brazil – led by the famous Pelé – win soccer’s World Cup. It would help to have some serious interest in soccer since so much of the film revolves around it. It is good to see how the sport brings the diverse cultural community together – even the rabbis are dancing around and hugging one another at big wins on TV.
– John Sunier
