Chico Xavier (2010)

A biography of spiritual medium and author Francisco Candido Xavier.

Director:

Daniel Filho

Writer:

Marcos Bernstein

Stars:

Natalia Soutto, Nelson Xavier, Ângelo Antônio

6 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natalia Soutto	...	Ludmila (as Natália Souto)
Nelson Xavier	...	Chico Xavier 1969 - 1975
Ângelo Antônio	...	Chico Xavier 1931 - 1959
Matheus Costa	...	Chico Xavier 1918 - 1922
Tony Ramos	...	Orlando
Christiane Torloni	...	Glória
Giulia Gam	...	Rita
Letícia Sabatella	...	Maria
Luís Melo	...	João Cândido
Pedro Paulo Rangel	...	Padre Scarzelo
Giovanna Antonelli	...	Cidália
André Dias	...	Emmanuel
Cássia Kiss	...	Iara
Cássio Gabus Mendes	...	Padre Júlio Maria
Rosi Campos	...	Cleide

Storyline

A biography of spiritual medium and author Francisco Candido Xavier.

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Plot Keywords:

brazil | religion | spiritual guide | 1960s | faith | 

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Taglines:

The life of the greatest spirit medium that the world has ever seen.

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Genres:

Biography

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

2 April 2010 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

As Vidas de Chico Xavier

Filming Locations:

Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Globo Filmes, Lereby Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Chico Xavier 1969 - 1975: Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning... Anyone can start over and make a new ending.
Chico Xavier 1969 - 1975: Every little bit of peace I bring someone is worth the peace I never had.
Chico Xavier 1969 - 1975: When we have faith and discipline everything becomes easier. Patience is the mother of all virtues. With anxiety all our lives become worse.

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Connections

Followed by As Mães de Chico Xavier (2011)

User Reviews

Chico Xavier: another totally flawed Daniel Filho movie

Chico Xavier is the latest flick following the Brazilian trend of biographical movies. Directed by the artistically inept soap-opera director Daniel Filho, Chico Xavier appears to be a film made exclusively to make big bucks out of an audience of religious viewers. And at this, it has been extremely successful. Instead of adopting a balanced approach to present the life of controversial spiritual figure Chico Xavier, the script and direction faithfully follow a biographical book that portrays the main character as a sort of martyr saint of spiritism. From the opening scene in a talk show in the 1970's it is quite clear that the spiritual powers and infinite benigness of Chico Xavier will overcome any difficulties and conquer even the most skeptic minds. The director resorts to a number of cheap devices to make the audience emotional and oblivious to the story's many flaws and inconsistencies. All the possible objections to the spiritual phenomena attributed to the so-called medium are quickly dismissed with some extraordinary event or an incredible display of generosity by Chico or his friends from the other side. That is exactly why the movie fails to elicit real drama and tension in anyone who appreciates a well-told human story. We can't really connect to someone who stoically endures great suffering and incomprehension without ever having a single burst of anger or revolt. Some scenes are almost comical in its zealousness to promote the sainthood of Chico, like the one in which his father takes him, as a young man, to a brothel. The cast includes many well-known Brazilian soap-opera actors who do not really make much of a difference to the overall sleepy mood of the entire work. Regardless of religious beliefs, it is impossible not to recognize the immense influence Chico Xavier has had on the Brazilian people. That is exactly why his story deserved better than this half-cooked piece of commercial cinema.