Stuck between cultures in Maya Da-Rin's serene, sad and beautiful immigrant-in-his-own-country tale, THE FEVER

It was not until the finale of THE FEVER that I realized how much in common this lovely little movie has with one of 2018's best films, Leave No Trace. Not that this is in any way intentional, but the ending of the two films are remarkably similar, as is the father-daughter bond in both, as well as hero's inability to handle the culture/society in which he is living. While the father in Debra Granik's film has PTSD, you might easily see the condition of the dad in Maya Da-Rin's new movie as a kind of incipient traumatic stress disorder.

Dad, you see, is a native of an Amazon tribe who, with his now-deceased wife, left his village two decades ago for a better life in "civilization." The past (as well as an ever less positive present) is now making itself felt in alternately strange and unpleasant ways.

As co-writer, Ms Da-Rin (shown at right) keeps things simple and believable, subtle but suggestive. As director, she has a keen eye; her film is slow, precise and beautifully composed. 

Da-Rin is blessed to have cast in her leading role of Justino a non-professional but quite excellent actor, Regis Myrupu (above and below, left), who commands the screen about as quietly and securely as I've yet witnessed from a non-pro. The role of his daughter, played by non-pro newcomer Rosa Peixoto, below, right, is equally well-handled, as are most of the film's many supporting roles.

Our hero's job at the port -- simply standing and keeping alert -- has got to be one of the most boring ever conceived, and while doing it he encounters both casual, nasty racism from a co-worker and some remarkably adept, by-the-book, not-quite-harassment from his firm's human resources branch. 

On his way home from work at night (above and below), the lure of the rainforest -- the city of Manaus borders the Amazon -- attracts Justino mysteriously and quietly, though probably the least successful portions of the film have to do with his dreams/fantasies/maybe actualities of being pursued by some rainforest creature or being. 

And then there's that titular fever, a low-grade, off-and-on symptom, that bedevils our hero and which his daughter attends to as best she can. 

Family meals provide some respite and communication (and more background for us viewers), and we learn that the daughter, a nurse, has been accepted into a medical school in Brasilia, which means she'll soon be leaving the fold. A visit from Justino's brother and sister-in-law from the tribe helps bring all this to a troubling head.

The great triumph of The Fever is how much we come to feel for (and fear for) Justino, who never complains nor even grows angry (on the surface, at least) at anything he is given to endure. When, finally, he makes a decision, I can't imagine that you'll be able in any way to disagree with it.

Distributed by KimStim, in Portuguese with English subtitles, and running 98 minutes, the movie opens this Friday, March 19, at cinemas (virtual and maybe some brick-and-mortar) across the country. Click here then scroll down to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.

COUSINS--Mauro Carvalho & Thiago Cazado's sweet, gay fairytale from Brazil--opens in L.A.

Sweetness and charm can help a little independent movie go a long way. For the latest example, see COUSINS, a small delight from Brazil that the country's current right-wing dictator is no doubt hoping to ban or perhaps have its cast and crew "disappeared" forthwith. Meanwhile, the film -- co-directed by Mauro Carvalho (below) and Thiago Cazado (who doubles as screenwriter and triples as one of the film's two stars) -- opens this week in Los Angeles where it should attract a fairly pleased and loyal following.

Co-star Paulo Souza (shown below) plays a closeted young man named Lucas who lives with his aunt and is told by this religious but also quite caring woman that she must go away on some sort church-group trip, and that while she is gone he is to expect a visit from his cousin, Mario, whom Lucas he has never met and who is just now out of prison (don't worry: it's for a minor offense) and that Mario will be staying with them for awhile.

Of course that cousin (played by Cazado, below) turns out to be an adorable and very hot young man who shows a decided interest in Lucas, and before you can say, "OK: How long do we have to wait for the first sex scene?", they are going at it hot and heavy.

The sex is fun and quite sexy, and there's enough full-frontal to satisfy fans. More important, however: The two performances are lovely and real, and they help us glide easily over the screenplay's coincidence, happenstance and obviousness.

A naughty, jealous neighbor girl brings the plot to a boil, yet the film is so full of good nature and good humor (along with its good-looking cast) that there is really little to stop you from giving in to its sweetness and charm and simply going with the flow.

Sure, it's a fairytale, but it's a lovely one that might just make you forget, even momentarily, the downward spiral of a country for whom we had, for awhile at least, higher hopes. Still, who are we to throw stones, as the USA now has one of the world's prime sleazebags as its leader?

From TLA Releasing and running just 82 minutes, Cousins -- in Portuguese with English subtitles -- opens tomorrow, Friday, November 1, in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Music Hall 3. And as it's from TLA, there is sure to be a DVD/digital release in the offing soon.

Gay, under-age and semi-closeted in Brazil: Alexandre Moratto's moving debut, SOCRATES

In the very first scene of SOCRATES, the fine, full-length debut from Brazilian-American filmmaker, Alexandre Moratto, our hero, the eponymously named Socrates, is suddenly orphaned. Or so we think. Once we meet his abusive -- physically and religious-wise -- father, later in the film, we realize that orphaned would have been better by far. Moratto (shown below) plunges us immediately and thoroughly into the fraught world of this young man, and though it isn't pleasant, movie-wise at least, it sure is interesting, as well as believable.

As the fifteen-year-old he is, finding work simply to eat and pay rent on the apartment in which he and his mom lived proves a near-constant task, but it is one that Socrates seems more than up to. If only the society around him would help a little. He's a smart, game kid who tries just about everything, quickly pulling us over to his side and keeping us there, despite his occasionally being too hot-headed for his own good.

Moratto never has his movie, nor his hero, beg for sympathy. He doesn't need to, for this is built into the situation and the character. And while the society around Socrates might want to help, times are bad enough already, not to mention the law about hiring minors for work.

Our hero (beautifully played  by Christian Malheiros, above, right, and below) turns to friends, relatives -- close and more distant -- possible employers, a little would-be whoring, and a sudden love-and-sex interest (Tales Ordakji, above, left) first seen in the workplace as an antagonist, who soon becomes a helpmeet. Of a sort, at least.

Along the way, we get good glimpses of the Brazilian workplace, of the country's less-than-impressive housing, and its beachfront playtime, as Socrates keeps trying and trying. Moratto, however, makes certain that his filmmaking is never trying. At only 71 minutes, Socrates moves continuously along at a quick, smart clip.

By the time we and our hero end up at a new seashore with a special task ahead, we've been treated to an impressive little movie that offers as kind and honest a look as possible, TrustMovies believes, at what under-age gay youth must contend with in an increasingly precarious world.

From Breaking Glass Pictures, Socrates opens this Friday, April 9, in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, and the following Friday, August 16, in New York City at the Cinema Village -- after which it will arrive on DVD via and on VOD two weeks from today, Tuesday, August 20.

Júlia Murat's PENDULAR explores creativity and sex in a Brazilian warehouse loft

When Júlia Murat's Brazilian movie, Found Memories, opened in New York back in 2012, TrustMovies was extremely impressed -- with its enormous beauty, its quietude, and the unobtrusive formality of its mise en scène. That film took place in a lovely and quaint old country town. Ms Murat's new film, PENDULAR, is set in the midst of a major city, in a somewhat abandoned warehouse that has been converted into a loft by and for a couple of artists -- she's a dancer, he's a sculptor -- that they now use as both work space and living quarters. One must assume the two are somewhat successful, since the furnishings and accoutrements with which they've surrounded themselves are rather impressive (they've got a particularly beautiful kitchen and bath).

Ms Murat, shown at left, lets us see some of their respective work (more of hers than his) and it looks interesting enough, if nothing all that original or special.

As to their character, the filmmaker keeps that pretty much at bay. They are both mostly fixated on their work, except when they're having sex, which is somewhat frequently throughout this 108-minute movie.

The sex is hot and heavy, and while neither actor -- Raquel Karro (shown above and below, who's both a dancer and actress) and Rodrigo Bolzan (below and further below) -- is drop-dead gorgeous, both performers are certainly attractive enough of face and figure that watching them either clothed or nude proves no problem.

We meet their friends and co-workers, briefly, off-and-on, and we're privy to snatches of this twosome's conversation -- though not all that much. Even then, most of it deals in some respect with their art. He needs more work space for his (maybe) massive sculptures; she gives in, if somewhat grudgingly. When they fight, each uses the other's art as his or her weapon.

Once again. Ms Murat's visual sense and formal composition is a consistent pleasure to view (the cinematographer is Soledad Rodríguez). Whether her heroine is trying to track the path of a odd cable wire that ends within the warehouse (but where does it begin?) or dancing or even fucking, the design is just fine.

Eventually, though, you may want more. I know I did. Late in the film, the man expresses a major personal need (I'll let you discover what this is), and conveniently (or inconveniently, depending on your viewpoint), the woman suddenly finds herself able to provide this  That leads to the movie's major drama and climax.

This might be enough, if only we knew more fully just who these characters are. Despite decent performances, using what little Murat and her co-writer Matias Mariani provide, the two actors are unable to manage this, and we have to content ourselves with some minor ruminations on work and art, watching Ms Karro in action, and the viewing of a good deal of pleasurable sex. Hey, that may be more than enough for a lot of you out there.

From Big World Pictures, Pendular -- which could as easily refer to some of our heroine's dance moves as to our hero's heavy-hung sexual equipment -- opens this Friday, November 30, in Chicago at the Facets Cinematheque. In December it will also play the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Time and Space, Ltd. in Hudson, New York. Click here (and scroll down) to keep abreast of all currently scheduled (and possibly more upcoming) playdates, cities and venues. 

From Brazil comes a genre bending/busting marvel: Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra's "family" film, GOOD MANNERS

Hugely feted and probably fated to go down in cinema history as one of the great love stories/family films/horror films -- yes, there are not so many of these! -- the Brazilian movie, GOOD MANNERS (As Boas Maneiras), is like nothing you've so far seen.

When TrustMovies was a teenager back in the late 1950s and especially in love with werewolf movies, he always imagined that someone would make a werewolf love story that could bring an audience not simply to fear, but to tears and maybe even a weird kind of joy. The South Koreans managed this to an extent with their lovely A Werewolf Boy back in 2012, and now, finally, the movie-making team of Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra (shown above, left and right, respectively) have gone even deeper and more thoroughly into genre-jumping/mashing to bring us a film that is at once, as the quote on the poster at top makes clear, a fairy tale/horror movie/romance/musical/social parable that works beautifully in every single one of those genres, even as it becomes, at last, something sui generis and quite amazing.

Good Manners is so good, in fact, that it rather sneaks up on you, growing better and stronger as it moves along until its final moment that should leave you as stunned and moved as any genre film you'll have viewed.

Low-budget, independent movies -- let alone genre jumpers -- rarely make for Oscar bait, which is a shame in itself. Even more so when the lead performance in one of those films is as full, rich and deep as is that of Isabél Zuaa (above), who plays the nanny, cook, cleaning woman, friend and finally lover to the pregnant woman (Marjorie Estiano, below) who hires her,

and then becomes the surrogate mother to the shape-shifter at the core of the film, the beautiful and gifted young actor, below, who bears the too-perfect moniker of Miguel Lobo (could that be his actual name?).

Though I hadn't yet realized it as a teenager who would soon identify as gay and eventually bisexual, the strong pull that these movies about "the other (in whatever form)" had on me came from the idea that one could be punished and destroyed for being different, even though one had no control over that difference.

Difference is paramount in Good Manners, whether it is seen via skin color, class, religion, or finally species. How the filmmaking duo brings this to the fore by melding their genres so skillfully is impressive enough; that they also manage to bring the emotional content home so strongly is even more so. Oh -- and did I mention how lovely the songs are?

One of the movie's odd strengths comes from its use of children -- as both aggressor and victims. These scene are as surprising, awful and moving as any I can recall in the genre, and while they do involve some bloodshed, the filmmakers never rub our noses in it. They show what they must and let our mind and heart do the rest. How well they also use some of the genre cliches -- the aroused mob of townspeople on the march to destroy Frankenstein and his monster -- is also admirable.

Good Manners is utterly transgressive in so many ways, and yet it is also one of the sweetest, kindest examples of the horror genre imaginable. The combination proves bracing and the movie -- together with its lead performance from Ms Zuaa (above right) -- unmissable.

From Distrib Films US and running a surprisingly lengthy 135 minutes (not one of which you'd want to part with, post viewing), the film opens theatrically in New York City this Friday, July 27, at the IFC Center and on August 17 in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Royal. Elsewhere? Sure hope so, but if not, the film will surely reach DVD and digital eventually.

A great film arrives: João Dumans and Affonso Uchôa's quietly magnificent ARABY

"Stick with it, please." I've said this before, but I don't think it has ever been more necessary or appropriate than with ARABY, the new movie from the writing/directing duo of João Dumans and Affonso Uchôa: If you stay with this quiet little film -- despite its leisurely pacing, refusal to overly dramatize, and a protagonist who suddenly shifts from the expected one to an entirely different person -- by the time you reach the conclusion of this 98-minute movie, you will have experienced labor, the workplace, love, life, death and maybe as close to the whole of humanity as any single movie is able to provide.

Filmmakers Dumans (above, right) and  Uchôa (above, left) build their small monument to the life of 90 per cent from this statement uttered by their protagonist early on: "In the end, all we have is what we remember." From this, they have crafted a tale that concentrates on but one man (Aristides de Sousa, shown below) yet takes in much of our world, building via an aggregate of detail to a conclusion that, though in no way surprising, still suddenly seems to expand into enormous compassion and understanding.

How in hell did the filmmakers manage this feat? As best TrustMovies can tell, it comes via a kind of visual and verbal poetry that, like all else here, goes nearly unnoticed -- until it suddenly begins resonating like crazy. (I may simply be slow; all this might resonate a lot earlier with you.) Maybe it has to do with that trickly transfer of feeling for a single human being into an understanding of humanity itself.

This is a Brazilian film, after all. I've long thought that Brazil seems to treat its people about as cavalierly, if not in downright uncaring fashion, as any supposedly "democratic" South American country. We see this in a government that spends oodles to host the Olympic Games only to put its populace in ever more dire straits. And via films from Elite Squad and its follow-up (that bang you atop the head with violence against the people) to the quieter, probing films of Kleber Mendonça, the great preponderance of humanity is alway given the shaft.

In Araby, this is true all over again, and yet via its protagonist and the people he meets along his journey of laboring-just-to-survive, we enter the world of the masses in a manner subtly different from other films. Here, it's via a kind of memoir our hero has composed (when we at last learn why and where he began this memoir, it becomes ever more meaningful and humane) that tells his story as best he is able.

The lovely, heartbreaking irony here comes from the fact that our hero, Cristiano, feels that he cannot communicate or express himself very well. Yet the filmmakers provide him voice and view so that he is able to give us everything we need to understand the love he feels, the loneliness he experiences and his constant need to not simply survive but to communicate.

I would think that there must be millions of workers in China and India -- hell, even some Trump acolytes here in the USA -- who could identify with and understand this movie.  There are no "labels" attached to any view here, and yet Dumans and Uchôa offer up enormous political commentary. By the time the film has come full circle, its impact has burgeoned into such collective power and momentum that, days after I've viewed it, I am still reliving and thinking about this movie.

From Grasshopper Film, in Portuguese with English subtitles, Araby opens this Friday in New York City at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and then will hit another four cities on either coast, with -- one hopes -- even more cities to follow over the weeks to come. Click here and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Where to Watch to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters. 

Fellipe Barbosa's hybrid docu-drama GABRIEL AND THE MOUNTAIN opens in NY and L.A.

Not quite like any movie I've seen previously and yet not so different in content and style as to seem at all "strange," GABRIEL AND THE MOUNTAIN is a kind of memorial to Gabriel Buchmann, a long-time friend of the filmmaker -- Fellipe Barbosa --  as well as an exploration of the last period of Gabriel's too-short life and a possible, though not-particularly-tidy explanation of his untimely death.

To his great credit, Barbosa decided to make his movie as narrative film, rather than a documentary, casting actors both professional and not and then mixing them so well, while using a story format that appears to follow real life closely enough, that a kind of vérité is quickly achieved.

The filmmaker, shown at right, seems clearly "invested" in this movie-- not just financially and artistically but emotionally, too.

And yet, instead of allowing himself to be either overly constrained or, conversely, undisciplined by his closeness to the material, Barbosa has used his understanding of what docu-drama can achieve to produce something nearly sui generis and very much worth experiencing.

His movie is too long -- it could have lost 15 to 20 minutes and been much stronger -- but it is still, despite this, memorable. Once seen, neither it nor its main character, Gabriel, will easily be forgotten.

As played by the remarkable young actor, João Pedro Zappa (shown above), Gabriel is at once full of life, energy, wit, smarts and attitude -- occasionally, so much of the latter that he begins to annoy. Yet he's kind and caring and always bounces back into your (and his girlfriend's) good graces.

Initially we see Gabriel with the various folk he's encountered along the way on his African adventure. He's come there as a kind of educational project to study poverty from the viewpoint of the people who are living through it and who, not coincidentally, seem to have embraced Gabriel fully and lovingly. In documentary style, each of these people tell us a bit about their own encounter with the young man. One of the side attractions of the film is that it makes the countries of African that we visit seem like the kindest and most welcoming places on earth.

Once Gabriel's girlfriend (played equally well by Caroline Abras, above and at bottom) joins him midway along, the movie becomes a kind of love duet that's also full of spice and ginger, politics and economics, and some quarreling, too, in which we view a bit of Gabriel's not-so-nice side -- which makes his character register all the more strongly and fully.

Gabriel is so full of life, in fact, that this gives the movie an odd and moving melancholy, since we have seen from its onset that he is now dead. And yet he lives. Boy, does he live! Along the way we visit the Masai people, see Mount Kilimanjaro, spend some time at the sea and finally return to Mount Mulanje in Malawi, Gabriel's final destination.

As the movie grows longer, it loses some stream because during the final 30-40 minutes we learn little more about Gabriel's character, even though the film itself continues and becomes somewhat repetitive. (The heavily accented English of the Africans is also sometimes difficult to decipher; English subtitles would have helped.) Still, the need to learn what happened to this young man, and why, is strong. The result -- in which we somewhat know and yet don't fully know -- is very well-handled by the filmmaker.

From Strand Releasing and running two hours and eleven minutes, Gabriel and the Mountain opens this Friday, June 15, in New York City (at the Quad Cinema) and Los Angeles (at Laemmle's Royal). In the coming weeks the movie will expand to at least another half dozen cities across the country. Here in South Florida it opens, Friday, July 13, at the Miami Beach Cinematheque. Click here, and then click Screenings on the task bar midway down, to see all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.