Lukasz Machowski's 'Alberto Goes to Rio' is a compact and emotive short film telling a rather familiar yet tragic story of a universal human dysfunction brought by the death of a dream. This time it's the main character's dream of success and achievement that he had brought with him years ago as a Brazilian immigrant settling in London. His dreams have evaporated in the fumes of consumed daily dosages of numbing sedatives that bring Alberto his relief and escape from his sad, monotonous existence in a city that the director chooses to portray as a modern Babylon. London is unforgiving; a raw and impersonal image of cityscapes dominated by cranes and aged brutalist housing estates, where large numbers of disappointed and disillusioned modern nomads dwell in crammed spaces, still chasing their dreams. East London disturbs in this work and it feels authentic.
Alberto, portrayed by Marco Aponte, a Venezuela-born actor and UCL lecturer, is an unassuming, likable, one-of-many drab office's employee, living a hopelessly sad existence, drinking and drugging himself after work in his single rented room filled with empty bottles and as empty pizza delivery boxes. This is where Alberto starts his victorious journey back to Brazil every evening and this is where the journey and his dreams end every morning before Alberto hides the hang-over symptoms and begins his day filled with wet sidewalks, money-juggling, yearning and deceitful stories about Brazil; another day of Alberto's safe cage, his home that he hates.
The film is fluid and well edited; its soundtrack is tender, poignant and graciously applied. In my opinion, what really stands out here is this young director's successful and convincing visual language manipulation evident through a very coherent and telling representation of London and subtle exploitation of Marco's physical features captured by the camera.
Lukasz Machowski wrote, directed and produced 'Alberto Goes to Rio' (made with help of his friends). This is his first and a very promising effort.
