"To Ask Forgiveness" was a quite gripping experience not only for its frantic emotional rollercoaster but also in the way director/writer Iberê Carvalho presents the
story. Combining past and present in a series of flashbacks that challenges the viewer in finding out what's happening and what had happened. And the whole mystery behind the
desperate stranger makes everything the more unsettling.
Vinícius Ferreira plays Pedro, a young man completely lost and confused who almost get hit by the taxi cab conducted by Alemão (Roque Fritsh) after being running
through the night. Alemão helps the man but also takes some advantage since he wants a new client during the "uneventful" evening during the Carnival festivities. Little
by little, through small conversations we follow Pedro's memories of his complicated relationship with Elisa (Fernanda Rocha), a stewardess who is torn apart between her
commitment to the job or her commitment to the man, who already asked her to move in with him. Given the initial scenario, you know that relationship ended and the man is
not only lost without her but he keeps seeing her face everywhere which causes a great deal of confusion to him and Alemão.
If you think the story cannot go any further with just this basic scenario, think again. There'll be time for plot twists, one better than the other even though the
story gets near to some predictable moments.
The transitions made by Carvalho made the experience far more enjoyable than had he not used in such devices such as the way he edits things altogether, by making
some moves back and forth with scenarios, locations and objects that keep shifting from a past situation to the current dramatic scenario. It's a little confusing at first
but then you get used to.
The acting is so-and-so but never chaotic or problematic enough to make you feel negative about. And as said, the story and its presentation makes it for a thrilling
experience with some amusing moments - when they meet the liquor seller on the streets and he tells about the worst Carnival memory he ever had (poor guy). On a deeper level,
it's a reflective story about the nature of relationships and how tough it is to make things all too balanced when there's too much demands involved and little liberty
involved. Are there ways to fix things up, say sorry or turn back time to things as they were in a good way? Hard to find that out. 9/10.
