Frame It on Rio

Up-and-comer Brazil shops its movies in Miami

Comments (0) By P. Scott Cunningham Thursday, May 29 2008

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12th Brazilian Film Festival of Miami. May 30 through June 7, Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Call 877-273-4563, or visit www.brazilianfilmfestival.com/2008/Miami.

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Much more experimental than either of those is Gustavo Spolidoro's hilariously named Ainda Orangotangos (Still Orangutans). Set in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, the movie jumps from character to character in the manner of Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth, the difference being that Spolidoro's film consists of only one 81-minute take. The camera begins on a train during the daytime and ends up in a car racing through city darkness. Unlike Hitchcock's Rope, there are no hidden cuts, and the camera is never shy about traveling outside, where the environment cannot be easily controlled if it wants to remain realistic. The organization of this feat cannot be underestimated and is worth watching with a production assistant's glasses on: scanning the background for gawkers, booms, and lights; thinking about how the cameraman is situating himself to capture all the action. The advancement of digital technology no doubt made the film possible, mostly obviating the need for gaff setups, but still, the execution is notable and worth repeating with a plot that amounts to more than disconnected scenes of little dramatic quality.

With Araújo, Cariry, and Spolidoro navigating the wake left by Walter Salles and Fernando Meirelles, the festival is another reminder that Hollywood may still be the film world's Marrakesh, but the most interesting fruits are growing elsewhere.