Era uma vez

So last night I went to see "Era Uma Vez". My translation for this was wrong in the last posting, the proper translation is "Once Upon a Time". Anyway, here is the trailer for the film, and for those of you who don´t speak Portuguese, well you can still kind of get the idea.

It was a beautiful but tragic film, kind of a Romeo and Juliet story. I liked it for a couple of reasons. First of all it really shows the classism/racism that is so prevelant here in this country. People from different social classes rarely hang out socially or get intimate, and yet this young couple fell in love and tried to make a go at it. I also like any film that is shot in Rio de Janeiro, because it is such a beautiful city and the scenery is incredible. And finally, I loved this movie because I understood almost everything that happened, without having to ask Vilma too many times about what was going on.

I have seen 3 Brazilian films since being here: "Tropa de Elite", "Meu Nome Nao e Johnnie" and now this one. With each film, I had increased understanding of the dialogue and story with (obviously) no English subtitles. I am so proud of myself and my Portuguese language learning!

That being said, if you get a chance to see this film, or the other 2 for that matter, by all means go. All three are excellent movies, and show one side of life in Brazil that really goes on. "Tropa de Elite" and "Meu Nome Nao e Johnnie" are based on true stories. Perhaps one or all of these will be at the International film festival in Portland this year? Lets only hope!