A city is ravaged by an epidemic of instant "white blindness". Those first afflicted are quarantined by the authorities in an abandoned mental hospital where the newly created "society of ... See full summary »
Five maids in São Paulo are observed in this episodic, impressionistic film. The women interact with each other, ride busses, work, and have longings: Rai for a husband, Créo for her lost ... See full summary »
Directors:
Fernando Meirelles,
Nando Olival
Stars:
Cláudia Missura,
Graziela Moretto,
Lena Roque
In this original variation on the Latin American telenovela (slow, emotional soap), life in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian big city jungle, is told in short, fast alternating scenes from the... See full summary »
Stars:
Darlan Cunha,
Douglas Silva,
Pierre-Augustin Crenn
Nuno is a man working at a hot dog stand, who also invented a machine which promises to revolutionize the shoe industry- a foot scanner. In the middle of a gasoline embargo and finding ... See full summary »
Director:
António Ferreira
Stars:
Filipe Costa,
Cláudia Carvalho,
Pedro Diogo
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.
A trip to the mental institution hell. This odyssey is lived by Neto, a middle class teenager, who lives a normal life until his father sends him to a mental institution after finding drugs... See full summary »
Director:
Laís Bodanzky
Stars:
Rodrigo Santoro,
Othon Bastos,
Cássia Kis Magro
A city is ravaged by an epidemic of instant "white blindness". Those first afflicted are quarantined by the authorities in an abandoned mental hospital where the newly created "society of the blind" quickly breaks down. Criminals and the physically powerful prey upon the weak, hoarding the meager food rations and committing horrific acts. There is, however, one eyewitness to the nightmare. A woman whose sight is unaffected by the plague follows her afflicted husband to quarantine. There, keeping her sight a secret, she guides seven strangers who have become, in essence, a family. She leads them out of quarantine and onto the ravaged streets of the city, which has seen all vestiges of civilization crumble. Written by
Festival de Cannes' Editor
Portuguese Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, the author of the novel upon which the film is based, wanted to attend the premiere of the film at the Cannes Film Festival. His doctors didn't allow him to travel, so the director flew to Lisbon to show him the film. See more »
Goofs
When the first blind man arrives home, he says he lives on the 14th floor. After his wife arrives you can see some trees through the kitchen window. Those trees should not be there. See more »
Sambolero
Written by Luiz Bonfá
Bonfá Music
Performed by Luiz Bonfá
From the recording entitled "Solo in Rio" SF 40483, provided courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (c) 2005,
Used by permission See more »
The movie has its merits. It brings you into the story, making you feel all the emotions felt by the characters, and in my opinion this is why some people didn't like it; it opens your eyes for things that nobody wants to see. I'm not saying that a disease like this one could happen, but others may come, and that's a reality.
The movie makes you feel extremely uncomfortable; I caught myself thinking about leaving the room sometimes. The atmosphere that Fernando Meireles built is so heavy and dark (even thought the whole movie is full of bright colors) that it makes you feel something like depression, sadness, and you keep thinking in the movie after it has finished. The acting helped a lot in this aspect; all the actors did their best to give a perfect sense of reality.
If you want just to spend some time watching a good apocalyptic movie, this is not the one. It may be considered as "cult" in someway, by the fact that you don't watch it to get entertained, but to reflect about it.
If I had to grade this movie based on how I felt during it, I would give it a 0, but I have to say that, above everything, it is a great movie.
8/10
83 of 117 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
The movie has its merits. It brings you into the story, making you feel all the emotions felt by the characters, and in my opinion this is why some people didn't like it; it opens your eyes for things that nobody wants to see. I'm not saying that a disease like this one could happen, but others may come, and that's a reality.
The movie makes you feel extremely uncomfortable; I caught myself thinking about leaving the room sometimes. The atmosphere that Fernando Meireles built is so heavy and dark (even thought the whole movie is full of bright colors) that it makes you feel something like depression, sadness, and you keep thinking in the movie after it has finished. The acting helped a lot in this aspect; all the actors did their best to give a perfect sense of reality.
If you want just to spend some time watching a good apocalyptic movie, this is not the one. It may be considered as "cult" in someway, by the fact that you don't watch it to get entertained, but to reflect about it.
If I had to grade this movie based on how I felt during it, I would give it a 0, but I have to say that, above everything, it is a great movie.
8/10