Behind the Sun (2001)

When ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother, a young man questions the tradition of violence between two rival families.

Director:

Walter Salles

Writers:

Karim Aïnouz (screenplay) (as Karim Ainouz), Ismail Kadare (novel)

Stars:

José Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Assemany

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Dumont	...	Father
Rodrigo Santoro	...	Tonho
Rita Assemany	...	Mother
Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos	...	Salustiano
Flavia Marco Antonio	...	Clara
Ravi Ramos Lacerda	...	Pacu
Caio Junqueira	...	Inácio
Everaldo Pontes	...	Old Blind Man (as Everaldo de Souza Pontes)
Mariana Loureiro	...	Widow
Servílio de Holanda	...	Isaías
Wagner Moura	...	Matheus
Gero Camilo	...	Reginaldo
Othon Bastos	...	Mr. Lourenço
Vinícius de Oliveira	...	Ferreira Family Member
Soia Lira	...	Ferreira Family Member

Storyline

The Brazilian badlands, April 1910. Tonho is ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother. The young man knows that if he commits this crime, his life will be divided in two: the 20 years he has already lived and the few days he has left to live, before the other family avenges their son's death. He is torn between fulfilling his ancestral duty and rebelling against it, urged by his younger brother Pacu. That's when a tiny traveling circus passes through the vast badlands where Tonho's family lives.

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Plot Keywords:

death | violence | tradition | 1910s | circus | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Brazil to the 2002's Oscars in the best foreign language film category.

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Quotes

Pacu: We're like oxen here. We go round and round and never go anywhere.

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Connections

Referenced in Collateral (2004)

User Reviews

Simply the most beautiful movie I have ever seen.

After reading some of the comments from American film fans on IMDb I must admit I was a little wary about going to see this movie. I needn't have worried though. To put it simply, this is the most beautifully shot film I think I have ever seen.

Walter Salles seems to bring so much colour and life out of the screen and into the theatre it was just an awesome experience. That scene with Clara on the rope, the scene with Tonio on the beach and the chase sequence at the beginning were just stunningly shot.

It was strange that I was the only person in the cinema to see this movie, and at the same time it's a pity that people would rather suffer the likes of Kate and Leopold or Collateral Damage (!) than a masterpeice like this. No matter how "clunky" you think some of the symbolism is, it was refreshing to see something as moving.

I read a review of this by Anthony Minghella, and he said, "It's as close to poetry as cinema gets", and I couldn't agree more.

Top marks 10 out of 10. And no mistake!

Details

Official Sites:

Arthur Cohn synopsis,cast,credits, director's notes [Brazil] Miramax Cast, trailer [United States]

Country:

Brazil France Switzerland

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

1 May 2002 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Shredded April

Filming Locations:

Bom Sossego, Bahia, Brazil

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,671, 16 December 2001

Gross USA:

$19,861

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$805,755

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bac Films, Dan Valley Film AG, Haut et Court

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1