O Novelo

Very moving film, with extremely well developped and unique characters, with their single problems and idiosyncrasies. As the storie is being unveiled, spectator feels engaged. The movie shows and explores family hard issues, masculinity, sexuality, social roles. It is quite impressive that this is the very first feature film directed by Cláudia Pinheiro; great debut, so mature. No less remarkable, the very skillful casting is mostly black: not only the ten actors who play the five brothers, as adults and children, and their parents, but also some other characters. It is even more special because the five brothers could be from any race, and usually casting is mostly black in Brazilian cinema only when story requires it. These black actors delivered outstanding performances, able to portray each unique personality, carefully built in Nanna de Castro's script (adapted from a theatre play that is also by hers). To resume: it is a sensitive movie with no mistake, about men (who are black, but the same stituations would apply to non-blacks), and made by women (both the director and the writer).