Once Upon a Time Veronica (2012)

A woman tries to make a life for herself in a violent Brazilian city.

Director:

Marcelo Gomes

Writer:

Marcelo Gomes (screenplay)

Stars:

João Miguel, Hermila Guedes, Maeve Jinkings

10 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
João Miguel
Hermila Guedes	...	Verônica
Maeve Jinkings	...	Paciente
Marcelo Gomes	...	Diretor
Júlio Rocha	...	Dr. Roberto
W.J. Solha
Anthero Montenegro
Madalena Accioly	...	Enfermeira Chefe
Natalia Sa	...	Amiga de Veronica
Renata Roberta
Dandara Pagu	...	Amiga de Veronica
Ana Claudia Wanguestel	...	Mae de Jailton
Suzy Lopes	...	Paciente Eli
Rosa Quirino	...	Paciente Rosa
Luiz Cesar Leite	...	Amigo Jose Maria

Storyline

Veronica (Hermila Guedes) has just finished med school in Recife and is facing the gap between the theory of books and the harsh reality of Brazil's public health system: enormous lines, unhelpful colleagues, and disgruntled patients who refuse medical protocol and sometimes even spit in her face. She refers to herself in the third person, as "patient Veronica," and exerts self-pity for feeling alienated in spite of having it all on paper. When she's not being a doctor, or a patient of her own self in her journals, she's hanging out with her ailing father, having lukewarm sex with her boyfriend, or daydreaming about beach orgies.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | orgy | woman swimming nude | father daughter relationship | female pubic hair | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Brazil France

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

16 November 2012 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Once Upon a Time Veronica

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dezenove Som e Imagem, Urban Factory

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Mira Ira
Written by Karina Buhr
Performed by Karina Buhr

User Reviews

"Minimal, existentialistic and sensual..."

Brazilian screenwriter and director Marcelo Gomes' fourth feature film which he wrote, premiered in the Contemporary World Cinema Section at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, was screened in the Horizontes Latinos section at the 60th San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in Brazil and is a Brazil-France co-production which was produced by producers João Vieira Jr. and Sara Silveira. It tells the story about a woman named Verônica who lives in a Brazilian city with her father Jose. Verônica has recently gone from years of reading books about medicine to diagnosing people, but all though she has two good friends, a loving father and a romantic relationship, this transition makes her question her own personality.

Finely and subtly directed by Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Gomes, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated by the main character and mostly from her point of view, draws a mindful and intimate portrayal of a doctor's meetings with various people who comes to her with their problems and her relationship with herself, her father, her friends and her lover. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions and fine cinematography by Brazilian cinematographer Mauro Pinheiro Jr., this character-driven and reflective drama about a woman who begins trying to diagnose herself and looking deeper into her own being after having finished her medical studies, depicts and internal study of character and contains a good score by composer Tomas Alves de Souza.

This at times humorous, atmospheric and self-scrutinizing story which is set in the municipality and metropolitan of Recife in Brazil, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, subtle character development and continuity and the commendable acting performances by Brazilian actress Hermila Guedes and Brazilian artist, actor and author W.J. Solha. A minimal, existentialistic and sensual fairy-tale.