Marcelo Gomes is an amazing director (Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus, Joaquim...), Hermila Guedes is one of the best actresses from Brazil, and the same may ne told about João Miguel among Brazilian male actors. Then, this movie could not be less than good, and it did not disappoint. Is is far from obvious, does not follow clichés and conventional wisdom. It is also beautifully filmed, and besides the landscapes and the nice camera moves and frames, there are perhaps the most convincing sex scenes I ever seen (mostly between Hermila Guedes and João Miguel). It is about a woman, who takes care of patients as a physician but is also ill, as she suffers with depression. She is sad for ageing but also is beginning to climb her career steps, what she does not know if she wants to. There is a man who loves her and is good, and she likes him but follows mostly a chaotic self-destructive path of lust. There are friends and the warm water of the beach, but there is apathy, or a "stone heart" as she says. Her lovely father will not be there forever, and while he brings comfort, his situation also does not make hard things easier. A slow, careful, exploring and deep film about a woman, a healthcare profession and deseases. Choices may be made, anyway.
Review of Once Upon a Time Veronica
