As I said this movie is a master-piece of Brazilian cinema. However, if you are not Brazilian you should have something in mind before you watch this. This movies is a comedy that mocks catholic church and how the so-called christians go to church but outside the church they are greedy, cheaters and corrupt.
The two main characters are a reflect of the poor people, that most of the times have to become smart-asses to have food on their tables. This explains the so-called "Brazilian way" (jeitinho brasileiro). Even if you are good at heart, you will die of hunger if you don't fight for survival. No one will help you (not even church).
The movie also shows how a small town in the northeast region is usually structured. Every small town has a church and one rich farmer that gets all the good landing to plant and make money. So poor people work their asses of, but all the money goes to church and the farmer. On the dry season it's even worse and many people migrate to the urban centers searching for a better life. It is inevitable that some of them will become robbers.
But the main purpose of the play is to show that in the end, everyone is the same. They all go to the same place when they die. And in the case of those who believe in the catholic faith, you will be judged by your actions.
This is a really common kind of comedy in Brazil. We tell a sad story using comedy, because we believe that laughing at our problems is the best way to have strength to face them.
I've read a review complaining about the characters yelling all the time, that is because people from the northeast have a really particular accent, and it is really funny for people from the rest of the country. Even I find that accent funny, and I have a mild version of that accent. It's like a dialect from the northeast.
I really feel that for a foreigner this movie won't have the same effect that it has to Brazilians. Many of the jokes were missed, specially the ones that play with the words. But it is still an interesting movie because of the social context, the photography and the popular cordel poetry.
That is by far my favorite Brazilian movie, and this is not a critique to our cinema, which has had really great pieces over the years.
The two main characters are a reflect of the poor people, that most of the times have to become smart-asses to have food on their tables. This explains the so-called "Brazilian way" (jeitinho brasileiro). Even if you are good at heart, you will die of hunger if you don't fight for survival. No one will help you (not even church).
The movie also shows how a small town in the northeast region is usually structured. Every small town has a church and one rich farmer that gets all the good landing to plant and make money. So poor people work their asses of, but all the money goes to church and the farmer. On the dry season it's even worse and many people migrate to the urban centers searching for a better life. It is inevitable that some of them will become robbers.
But the main purpose of the play is to show that in the end, everyone is the same. They all go to the same place when they die. And in the case of those who believe in the catholic faith, you will be judged by your actions.
This is a really common kind of comedy in Brazil. We tell a sad story using comedy, because we believe that laughing at our problems is the best way to have strength to face them.
I've read a review complaining about the characters yelling all the time, that is because people from the northeast have a really particular accent, and it is really funny for people from the rest of the country. Even I find that accent funny, and I have a mild version of that accent. It's like a dialect from the northeast.
I really feel that for a foreigner this movie won't have the same effect that it has to Brazilians. Many of the jokes were missed, specially the ones that play with the words. But it is still an interesting movie because of the social context, the photography and the popular cordel poetry.
That is by far my favorite Brazilian movie, and this is not a critique to our cinema, which has had really great pieces over the years.