As we announced in advance:  http://www.sustainabilitank.info/2008/08…

Brazilian Film comes to New York; Introduced by Maria Rita in Concert in Central Park, New York – Movies at Tribeca Cinemas .

Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 8th, 2008
by Pincas Jawetz ( PJ at SustainabiliTank.com)

indeed, the Sunday, August 10, 2008 event in Central Park was a smashing success. with close to 1,000 people present, over 90% of them Brazilians, this was a feast for the ears and the eyes.

Maria Rita, and the movie that followed were terrific.

The entrance to the Central Park, New York City, Summerstage. (photo Pincas Jawetz)

Maria Rita in Concert – Central Park, New York, August 10, 2008. (photo Pincas Jawetz)

Maria Rita (photo Pincas Jawetz)

The film was “Os Desafinados,” meaning “Out of Tune,” directed by Walter Lima Jr. It has scenes that were shot in NY – some of them right in Central Park – and all of this started in the days Bossa Nova was born.

The Sunday event in Central Park was billed as the opening event of “The Reel Brazilian Festival” – a traveling event that is backed by Petrobras – billed as CineFest Petrobras August 10-16, 2008 – opened on the Summerstage in the Park and anchored at the Tribeca Cinemas August 11- 16, 2008.

Somehow, perhaps because of the fact that this movie was not shown at Tribeca, it did not get full coverage in the Program Magazine of the festival – only rather a photo of the young musicians in their early days. We found this a bit of injustice. Later I learned, that because of the fact that it was going to be also the ending movie at Tribeca, it got all the missing information in a the latter page of the Magazine.

The film’s story starts 50 years ago in Rio 9 about 1958). A band of four friends start playing bossa nova and end up coming to New York to look for their first recording contract. Here they meet another Brazilian – Gloria – a free soul – also a musician – and a very talented one at that. She came to New York to look for her personal freedom. Eventually, because of trouble with the immigration office, they return to Brazil and experience a military coup – go to Argentina that fell under military criminal rule, and the leader of the band gets kidnaped and was never heard off again – a case of the “disappeared,” Os Desparecidos – I would loosely translate – of Argentina. Gloria leaves back and never does music again, the other three pursue other life-paths – but still in the field of music. The high point is when the son of Gloria, who passed away since, comes to meet the remaining three in order – so to say – “to spread her ashes” with them. He is like a total reincarnation of her and knows all what went on between the five people that were part of a revolution movement in the soul of Brazil. This is an excellent movie, full with music and feeling. One of the actors promised to send me material – so I hope I will get back to it later.

Now two points:

(a) Bossa Nova is very much on the mind of the festival organizers. The closing movie on Saturday, August 16th, will be again “Os Desafinados.” So – despite what I said earlier, there is really no neglect here by Tribeca – but only a weakness in the festival’s Magazine. Further – this is a tribute to 50 years of Bossa Nova, and the festival will be showing also a documentary – “The House of Tom – Mundo, Mondo, Mondo, directed by Ana Jobim, the widow of the greatest Tom Jobim. And you know what – they will take the documentary to the Dag Hammarskjold library at the UN, today, August 12th. I will get back to this after next point.

(b) The first full length movie of the festival, shown at Tribeca Cinemas last night, Monday August 11, 2008, was “Boda de Papel” or “Paper Wedding” (they showed after that also “The House of Tom,” “Bellini and the Devil,” and The Magnate.” – The program was going to end with a party starting about midnight. I had to miss all what went on after the “Paper Wedding,” because of another event that involved an NGO active at the UN.)

I insist in incorporating in this review also “Paper Wedding” because of a certain similarity in the politics of the situation. This has to do with the transformation of Latin America in these last 50 years. It is not just the freedom expressed in Bossa Nova, but also the move away from the military dictatorships – even though sometimes with perhaps somewhat populism and luke-warm goodwill, while at other times outright criminal, to a much more democracy-base Southern Latin American Cone. And the similarity in these movies in the fact that the generation making movies today has no compulsion in hiding their feelings and their hope for a better future. They also have no illusions about the part business plaid in what went on, the liking of the US, toned down a bit with echoes of a deed here or there.

In Boda de Papel, Candeias is a small city by the “Dirty River” that had to be evacuated due to the construction of a dam, the general decreed as an important development. After three years, the Government gave up the project and the previous inhabitants start trickling back and rebuild life in Candeias. From here there is the obvious romance and surprises that even with the uncertainty because of the will of the generals in government, there are also economic self-interests and environmental issues. The young Brazilian movie-makers do not shy away from describing in lyric terms hard facts that hurt.

Brazil has come of age today. Yes – there is oil and ethanol, hydropower and biomass-power – the country is on move and it is also blessed with people that will make these moves possible. And an additional note – the young people of Brazil and Argentina mix well. In this second movie again protagonists are with both country backgrounds, and the architect that comes to help renovate Candeias is Argentinean. They can laugh now about each other’s old stereotypes.