Benjamim (2003)

Benjamim Zambraia is a lonely man, a famous model with a tragic past. Some time in the past, he showed some officers the exact location where the woman he loved was hiding with her guerilla... See full summary »

Director:

Monique Gardenberg

Writers:

Chico Buarque (book) (as Chico Buarque de Hollanda), Jorge Furtado

Stars:

Paulo José, Danton Mello, Cleo

6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Paulo José	...	Benjamim Zambraia (old)
Danton Mello	...	Benjamin Zambraia (young)
Cleo	...	Ariela Masé / Castana Beatriz (as Cléo Pires)
Guilherme Leme	...	Jeovan
Chico Díaz	...	Alyandro Sgaratti
Nelson Xavier	...	Dr. Cantagalo
Rodolfo Bottino	...	Gâmbolo
Ernesto Piccolo	...	Zorza
Miguel Lunardi	...	Professor Douglas
Mauro Mendonça	...	Dr. Campoceleste
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Micaela Goes	...	Aninha
Ivone Hoffman	...	Governanta
Ana Kutner	...	Assistente Gâmbolo
Dadá Maia	...	Recepcionista
Pablo Padilla	...	Inquilino

Storyline

Benjamim Zambraia is a lonely man, a famous model with a tragic past. Some time in the past, he showed some officers the exact location where the woman he loved was hiding with her guerilla lover. As a result, the two were killed. One day, he casually meets a woman who looks very much like his former love, and this fact changes his life. Could she be the daughter of his great love? Or her reincarnation?

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Connections

References Brasil Ano 2000 (1969)

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Soundtracks

Coração de Papel
Performed by Sérgio Reis

User Reviews

subtle and complex

Instead of focusing on the flaws mentioned by the first reviewer, I'd like to emphasize the fact that this film was very well made. The production is excellent, the photography is beautiful, the acting is good enough (not stellar),and the plot is complex (it is confusing for a reason): Chico Buarque's novel is just as complex, with constant flashbacks which I believe are appropriate to connect past and present. The present is "determined" by the actions of the past.

This sense of the inescapable is central to both Buarque's and this film's meaning(s). One cannot analyze either the film or the novel without some background knowledge of the historical context (Brazil during the 1960s up until the late 1980s). The continuity between the long period of military dictatorship (1964-1985) and the supposed entrance of the country into a "democratic" present, a present which is usually seen as a break with the violent past, are depicted as mirrors of one another through the very structure of the narrative.

Unfortunately, without this historical background, one may find this film a "let down" to quote the first reviewer. This is due to the fact that a casual viewer, seeking merely entertainment, will be in the dark as far as the subtle historical references of the film narrative to both the dictatorship and the post-dictatorship's least visible traits.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Brazil]

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

9 April 2004 (Brazil)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dueto Filmes, Estúdios Mega, Natasha Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Color:

Color