The setting is the frontier that separates Brazil and Uruguay. As the story begins, we see a few men on bicycles carrying what appears to be contraband. A police car gives chase and most of the men are caught. The policeman knows he will be able to get something he wants out of the merchandise the guys are hauling. Only Beto, who hides behind some boulders, is able to escape and save whatever he is bringing back.
Beto is a poor man with no other job than to go across the border to make a living. His wife Carmen takes laundry in to help the family. The couple has a younger daughter, Silvia, whose ambition is to be a newscaster on television. The family's home is a step above a shack. In spite of the poverty, Beto is always dreaming about how to provide for his wife and daughter, except his plans almost always end in failure.
A big event is coming to the town. It is 1988 and Pope John Paul II is expected to make a stop in Melo. The townspeople begin to prepare themselves to feed the hordes of Brazilians that are supposed to invade their little town. Beto's idea is to build a toilet outside his house. With so many visitors, he figures most people will be in need of using the facility, at a modest cost. Unfortunately, the crowds never materialize; the people in the town suffer greater losses than they were able to afford. The task he set for himself will almost ruin his life and that of his wife and daughter.
An engaging film from Uruguay directed by Cesar Charlone and Enrique Hernandez. Based on a true story, the filmmakers tried to reconstruct the atmosphere of that historic moment. Who would have thought an important person like the John Paul II, a figure that attracted thousands of people to wherever he appeared, would get such a small turnout? The lives of Beto and his neighbors was changed forever by just pure bad luck, something no one ever expected.
Best thing in the film is Cesar Troncoso who plays Beto. His pain is too hard for the viewer to take. Despite of all his good intentions, he is just as bad off after the visit, as he was before. Mr. Troncoso's work surprises in its intensity. The supporting cast does a wonderful job as well.
Beto is a poor man with no other job than to go across the border to make a living. His wife Carmen takes laundry in to help the family. The couple has a younger daughter, Silvia, whose ambition is to be a newscaster on television. The family's home is a step above a shack. In spite of the poverty, Beto is always dreaming about how to provide for his wife and daughter, except his plans almost always end in failure.
A big event is coming to the town. It is 1988 and Pope John Paul II is expected to make a stop in Melo. The townspeople begin to prepare themselves to feed the hordes of Brazilians that are supposed to invade their little town. Beto's idea is to build a toilet outside his house. With so many visitors, he figures most people will be in need of using the facility, at a modest cost. Unfortunately, the crowds never materialize; the people in the town suffer greater losses than they were able to afford. The task he set for himself will almost ruin his life and that of his wife and daughter.
An engaging film from Uruguay directed by Cesar Charlone and Enrique Hernandez. Based on a true story, the filmmakers tried to reconstruct the atmosphere of that historic moment. Who would have thought an important person like the John Paul II, a figure that attracted thousands of people to wherever he appeared, would get such a small turnout? The lives of Beto and his neighbors was changed forever by just pure bad luck, something no one ever expected.
Best thing in the film is Cesar Troncoso who plays Beto. His pain is too hard for the viewer to take. Despite of all his good intentions, he is just as bad off after the visit, as he was before. Mr. Troncoso's work surprises in its intensity. The supporting cast does a wonderful job as well.