Saneamento Básico, O Filme

Although limited and uneventful at a first glance, this movie is able to touch some of the most compelling aspects of becoming a filmmaker in Brazil, namely the lack of support from public or private means and the trickled access to culture as a whole, all the while making fun of the usual neglect directed to the marginalized.

It is also worth of note that this movie is a absolute melting pot of charisma and creativity, being a mix of some noteworthy performances from relatively unknown actors and a showcase of the many talents we would later see in others, such as Fernanda Torres, Wagner Moura and Lázaro Ramos, although their characters can seem undeniably shallow at times, mostly due to the heavily cut dialogue.

So, this movie does not excel as a comedy nor as a critic, being a subpar addition in comparison to other more popular Brazilian films. Yet, it is a worthy and curious footnote in the history of Brazilian cinema, and a good reminder of our ability to try things that seem impossible with the little we may have.

I saw this movie at the "2ª Mostra de Cinema Brasileiro" in Lisbon, Portugal. On that day, all the movies played were directed by Jorge Furtado. I'd already seen "O Homem que Copiava" (on DVD in Portugal) and "Meu Tio Matou um Cara" (on DVD in Brazil) and enjoyed them a lot, so i was ready for some more. I invited some friends to come along. The result was extremely positive. We all laughed out hard, along with the rest of the audience that filled the cinema (São Jorge). It's a lightweight comedy, low-budget, with great acting, an original plot and, of course, some political and social criticism about the "system". But ultimately, it's a fun, feel good and intelligent movie... unlike something stupid/unfunny and 1000 x bigger budget like "Evan Almighty", which I saw yesterday. I would compare this movie with a Portuguese movie that also came out on 2007 "Dot.com", which i also highly recommend.

Unfortunately, other Portuguese country fellows who didn't had the opportunity to see this film at this festival, will never make to see it. The movie wasn't released on cinema, and probably will not be released on DVD either. "O Homem que Copiava", actually was released on DVD in Portugal, but "Meu Tio Matou um Cara" (as well as many other good Brazilian titles) wasn't. One of the many misfits of piracy, drying the funds necessary for the distribution of good movies that are not necessarily "blockbusters"... :(

The citizens of a tiny, orderly village in the highlands of Southern Brazil are struggling to have a long-needed drainage ditch built. Bunk-bed saleswoman Marina (Fernanda Torres) learns there are no public funds for it, but there IS a local fund available for the making of a fiction short video. Pragmatic Marina decides to combine necessity and opportunity, and soon -- with the help of her husband Joaquim (Wagner Moura), her adopted sister Silene (Camila Pitanga) and Silene's boyfriend Fabrício (Bruno Garcia) -- she begins to write a horror movie screenplay about a scary Ditch Monster, so they can use the video money to have the ditch built. The problem is they don't know the first thing about making movies; they have to learn it the hard way but find themselves touched by "film-making magic", while the actual ditch-building gradually subsides to secondary concern.

After the critical and commercial success of his three feature films -- "Houve Uma Vez Dois Verões", "O Homem que Copiava", "Meu Tio Matou um Cara", some of the smartest comedies of Brazilian cinema -- director/writer Furtado leaves aside his trademarks (his mathematical, perfectly thought-out screenplay structure, his clever plot twists, his extensive use of voice-over narration) and challenges himself with a less tidy, looser structure based more on character than plot. Though it sags and drags in parts (the film is longer than it needs to be), Furtado retains his special ear for dialog and his love for characters who seem dumb but show unexpected wit (and vice-versa).

Furtado -- who made one of the most influential Brazilian short films of all time, "Ilha dos Flores", a sarcastic faux-documentary about garbage disposal that revealed the perverse logic of capitalist economics -- tries with "Saneamento..." to encompass four fronts: a) it's love letter to movies and a conscience call for movie-makers; b) an ironic (self-) criticism on the questionable cultural financing policies in Brazil; c) a commentary on Brazilian citizens' usual laissez-aller attitude regarding the fight for their rights; and d) a comedy tailored for its stars to shine in.

Based on Furtado's real experience -- he used part of the US$ 350,000 budget given to his short "Fraternidade" to build a sports court in a poor community --, "Saneamento" poses complex (though hardly new) questions: are art and entertainment superfluous in poor countries like Brazil? How can artists help change Brazilian stark reality? is it their job to do so? Is apolitical creative work alienating? How can Brazilian filmmakers claim artistic independence when they invariably feed on public financing policies (otherwise their films never get made)? Furtado can't answer those questions (who can?), but light-heartedly teases the status quo – politicians, financiers, artists and the audience.

Influenced by commedia dell'arte, the eight main characters in "Saneamento" are comedic archetypes that depend on the stars' expertise, improvisational abilities and audience appeal -- and they all deliver (though they struggle with the occasional cliché lines, wrong accents and some phony situations). Fernanda Torres, especially, shows once again her incomparable comedy timing, and pulls new rabbits from her hat just when we thought we had seen them all: she can move you AND make you laugh in the same scene. Camila Pitanga's luscious beauty and Paulo José's unfailing charisma are also highlights.

But we're asked to believe some far-fetched stuff that challenges our adhesion: it's very unlikely that, in a village that's far from poor and where people have TVs and DVDs, the characters would be so ignorant about page-one-basics of film-making, like what fiction, screen writing or editing are (c'mon!), or that actors fake fistfights (even small children know that). The use of Billie Holiday's marvelous rendition of "It Had to Be You" to Silene's bitchy video striptease also sounds terribly phony -- those characters don't look like they ever listened to Billie Holiday, let alone choose her for the soundtrack...

Perhaps what's disappointing about "Saneamento" is that it promises much more than Furtado delivers; after a while, we know the film's going nowhere special. Some scenes seem self-pleasing and unnecessarily long, like Paulo José and Tonico Pereira arguing over an Italian aria or Wagner Moura riding his shabby bike at 20mph for an eternity to the sound of Sergio Endrigo's "Io Che Amo Solo Te". "Saneamento" is lightweight (though its theme aren't), mockingly provocative and well-made, but it does drag on and is ultimately a bit unsatisfying, especially the very cliché denouement. Anyway, Furtado is such a resourceful writer and unobtrusive director that, even if this time his film isn't quite up to his usual best, it's still wittier, meatier and funnier than most contemporary Brazilian comedies.

Hmm, let's see: one of the main characters doesn't know the meaning of the word "fiction", although she went through college and masters concepts like genetic mutation. Another character is cultured enough to have a Gustav Klimt poster on his wall, though he is ignorant to the point of throwing a beer can in a water fall inside his own estate during one of the innumerable scenes and dialogues that don't have any connection to the plot. Does the director, producers and writer really think these characters are believable? Actor's maneirisms are the same as seen on TV soap operas. Local extras that made into some of the scenes were certainly added to give a "southern feel" to the movie, but they generally sit still like mummies and never utter a word.

Fortunately, for non Brazilian viewers many of the weakest points in this film will remain unnoticed (like the fake southern accents), that is, if this film is ever going to be watched outside Brazil.

I am giving it five stars since the movie made an attempt at straying the focus from the tiresome working class approaches that are predominant in Brazilian movies, but "Saneamento Básico" still falls short on several other aspects. Try again.