The parents of young Mauro, a Brazilian Jewish couple, leave their Belo Horizonte home and go underground. They have a problem, though, they can't take their young son, Mauro, with them. That is why they decide to leave the boy with his grandfather in Sao Paolo. Little prepares Mauro for what he is going to experience in his new surroundings. It was a hard time for dissidents all over the country that opposed the dictatorship ruling the country. Many suffered because the regime had no tolerance for anyone that defied their cruelty. Many people died, or were forced, as Mauro's parents to go into hiding from the police that hunted them, or went into exile.
Mauro's grandfather had tragically passed away. Evidently no one bothered to tell his parents of the fact, so the kid is stranded, for all practical purposes. What's worse, Mauro arrives to a community of Orthodox Jewish people and he has no clue as to their ways. Shlomo, an older man, who was friends with the boy's grandfather is given custody. The two clash over the ways they see the world.
Mauro is befriended by a young girl whose mother owns a clothes store where she takes the neighborhood boys to watch while the women try things through a hole in the wall. Mauro develops a crush for Irene, the friendly waitress of a nearby bar.
As with everyone in Brazil, soccer is king. The year was 1970 when Brazil went to win the coveted World Cup. Pele, a national hero, was the guiding light that made Brazil forget for a few days the internal conflict. Even the Orthodox Jews were elated by the way their national team showed how great they were.
This film, directed by Cao Hamburger, and produced by Fernando Mirelles, has the heart in the right place. We have seen variations of this theme in other, better done films. This is not an unpleasant movie to sit through, but the plot does not make much sense at times. How can one explain Mauro's parents leaving the young boy on his own? Of course, it's a dramatic subplot, but it doesn't add up to the credibility of the story we are presented. Where the film succeeds is in the children's interactions with one another.
The acting is good throughout the film. Michel Joelsas, who plays Mauro, steals the movie with his quiet rebellious ways. Germano Haint is also effective as Shlomo, the kind man asked to look after the boy. Daniela Piepszyk is excellent as the impish Hanna. Liliana Castro is Irene, the kind waitress who is the object of Mauro's affections.
Mauro's grandfather had tragically passed away. Evidently no one bothered to tell his parents of the fact, so the kid is stranded, for all practical purposes. What's worse, Mauro arrives to a community of Orthodox Jewish people and he has no clue as to their ways. Shlomo, an older man, who was friends with the boy's grandfather is given custody. The two clash over the ways they see the world.
Mauro is befriended by a young girl whose mother owns a clothes store where she takes the neighborhood boys to watch while the women try things through a hole in the wall. Mauro develops a crush for Irene, the friendly waitress of a nearby bar.
As with everyone in Brazil, soccer is king. The year was 1970 when Brazil went to win the coveted World Cup. Pele, a national hero, was the guiding light that made Brazil forget for a few days the internal conflict. Even the Orthodox Jews were elated by the way their national team showed how great they were.
This film, directed by Cao Hamburger, and produced by Fernando Mirelles, has the heart in the right place. We have seen variations of this theme in other, better done films. This is not an unpleasant movie to sit through, but the plot does not make much sense at times. How can one explain Mauro's parents leaving the young boy on his own? Of course, it's a dramatic subplot, but it doesn't add up to the credibility of the story we are presented. Where the film succeeds is in the children's interactions with one another.
The acting is good throughout the film. Michel Joelsas, who plays Mauro, steals the movie with his quiet rebellious ways. Germano Haint is also effective as Shlomo, the kind man asked to look after the boy. Daniela Piepszyk is excellent as the impish Hanna. Liliana Castro is Irene, the kind waitress who is the object of Mauro's affections.