The last documentary by great filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho, finished after his death by João Moreira Salles, is a strong one. Despite the lack of optimism of Coutinho himself as we can see in his grumbling interview to editor Jordana Berg which opens the movie, he could catch strong testimonies. By interviewing teen students of public schoolsin Rio de Janeiro, many testimonies brought brightly issues of coming of age: lack of self confidence, the feeling of proving him or herself, bullying, negative views on how the world works (people as stupid, or as evil, or as naive...), solitude. That inner turmoil is often alleviated only through poetry writing or diary keeping, as they showed. Their feelings recurrently changed between extreme poles (sadness and happiness, proudness and insecurity, love or resentment for a parent) in the very same interview. Either church had an important part in their activities or they became atheist, in very dramatic answers to the drawbacks of life. Either shy and restrained or made-up and grateful for the interview, they all belong to lower classes, and many of their family stories reflect the difficulties for keeping family scrutcture and proximity under hard economic conditions. When they are not hopeless and dream about the future, this may be as fantastic as the one imagined by children: investigating earthquakes which do not exist in Brazil, or being a pilot despite having never been in an airplane. Foreign music and cinema, and smartphones compose a core part of their world, in a striking generational contrast with old Coutinho himself. Despite that constraint, he maintained his unique ability to make people talk until the end of his career. Not surprisingly, his techniques and interventions were let exposed in the farewell movie even more than he did in his previous productions.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
