Bicho de Sete Cabeças (2001)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Laís Bodanzky

Writers:

Luiz Bolognesi (writer)
Austregésilo Carrano (book)

Release Date:

22 June 2001 (Brazil)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A trip to the mental institution hell. This odyssey is lived by Neto, a middle class teenager, who lives...

Plot Keywords:

Mental Institution | Drugs | Maconha | Latin America | Brazilian Middle Class

Awards:

33 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Rodrigo Santoro	...	Wilson Souza Neto
Othon Bastos	...	Sr. Wilson Souza (Pai)
Cássia Kiss	...	Meire Souza (Mãe)
Daniela Nefussi	...	Neto's Sister
Jairo Mattos	...	Enfermeiro Ivan
Altair Lima	...	Dr. Cintra
Lineu Dias	...	Interno Jornalista
Caco Ciocler	...	Interno Rogério
Gero Camilo	...	Interno Ceará
Marcos Cesana	...	Interno Bil
Luis Miranda	...	Enfermeiro Marcelo
Valeria Alencar	...	Leninha
Gustavo Machado	...	Lobo
Cláudio Carneiro	...	Alex
Talita Castro	...	Bel

Also Known As:

Brainstorm (Canada: English title)

Runtime:

74 min | Canada:90 min | France:84 min

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Brazil:14

Company:

Buriti Filmes

Trivia:

The odd title ("animal with seven heads") is actually a popular expression in Brazil, and is used to describe something very complicated or complex.

Movie Connections:

References One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Soundtrack:

O Seu Olhar

Good intentions not enough

"Bicho de sete cabeças" is based on a true story, but it somehow resembles an overlong advertising spot with documentary posturing. Director Laís Bodanzky tries to make it look harsh and real, but few situations ring true, not the least those related to the young. This is quite obvious when the filmmakers try to find a cinematic equivalent to the perceptive alterations of a person under the influence of drugs. Back in the 1960's one could pass such naiveté as a Roger Corman joke in the face of lack of budget, but today it seems rather clumsy. Although he is too old for the leading role of Neto, Rodrigo Santoro gives a startling performance. As a matter of fact, it is his work that holds the movie together. Unfortunately, he has to deal with a weak script that opts for stereotypes: this is not a bad option per se, but it clashes with the film's intention to create a documentary climate. When the family visits Santoro in the sanatorium, for example, incoherence reigns, sister makes dumb remarks, mother smokes, while father bursts into his usual rhetoric. Poor Othon Bastos does his best to bring a bit of humanity out of his role as the father, loaded with clichéd dialogues. Hugo Kovensky's cinematography is also outstanding but in the end the script and the direction betray the intentions of the rest concerned. 6/10