Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005)

A road movie about a German man who went to the North East of Brazil in the 1942 to sell Aspirin.

Director:

Marcelo Gomes

Writers:

Karim Aïnouz (as Karim Ainouz), Paulo Caldas

Stars:

João Miguel, Peter Ketnath, Madalena Accioly

35 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
João Miguel	...	Ranulpho
Peter Ketnath	...	Johann
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Madalena Accioly	...	Mulher da Cobra
Jeane Alves	...	Mulher Amamentando
Veronica Cavalcanti	...	Maria da Paz
Jorge Clésio	...	Funcionário dos Correios
Daniela Câmara	...	Neide
Lúcia do Acordeon	...	Sanfoneira
Jan Doblado	...	Himself
Mano Fialho	...	Caçador
Francisco Figueiredo	...	Rapaz na Estrada
Paula Francinete	...	Lindalva
Hermila Guedes	...	Jovelina
Sandro Guerra	...	Homem da Cobra
José Leite	...	Dono do Restaurante

Storyline

In 1942, the lonely German Johann travels through the arid roads in the country of the Northeast of Brazil in his truck selling aspirins in small villages, using advertisement movies to promote the medicine. He meets the drifter Ranulpho, who intends to go to Rio de Janeiro seeking a better life, and gives a ride to the man. While traveling together, they develop a close friendship, but on 31 August 1942, Brazil declares war to Germany and Johann has to decide if he should return to his home country and fight in the war, or stay in Brazil in a concentration camp; but the option of moving to Amazonas with the migrants of the drought seems to be feasible.

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Plot Keywords:

brazil | aspirin | rattlesnake | traveling salesman | snake bite | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Brazil] (Portuguese, English)

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese German

Release Date:

19 April 2006 (France)

Also Known As:

Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures

Filming Locations:

São Mamede, Paraíba, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dezenove Filmes, Rec Produtores Associados Ltda.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is based on story narrated by director's great-uncle Ranulpho Gomes, who sold aspirins in Brazil during the 40's.

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Goofs

A character in the movie says that Brazil is larger than the United States not including Alaska. At the time of the movie's story (1942) Alaska wasn't a state yet.

User Reviews

Marcelo Gomes has made his mark in Brazilian movie industry.

Movie industry in Brazil has gone through many different phases and in all of them the northeast of the country has been a great source for film productions due to its social, cultural and natural conditions. So, throughout Brazilian movie industry, these northeast movies have been over-exposed. Avoiding clichés and stereotypes is not an easy task; and that is what Marcelo Gomes did quite successfully on his debut. The story itself is not that attractive, but the subtle way by which Marcelo conducts the scenes leads us to think of humanistic matters without committing the common mistake in the movie industry of giving us answers. There is a sensible balance: The grouchy and restless Ranulpho reminds us of the plight Brazilians from that region face and the absurdity of living in that condition; The smooth and adventurous Johann reiterates the adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that despite the circumstances life should be lived. It sounds dumb when put into words, but images don not speak, they imply, and the characters are busy enough living, they don't philosophize to come to the conclusions for you. It is all an undeniable achievement for Brazilian movie industry.