Laços

This movie definitely does not deserve the low 5-ish rating I see now on IMDB. It is a compelling emotional story, told and shot very well, where the whole cast is very good. Most of the story is told by the close-ups on their faces, and this worked very well for me.

The movie, without giving away too much, it's the story of the separation - and, in a broader sense, of the life of a family. We make choices, in life. Good or bad, the movie states that consequences, always, apply: and as long as these consequences involve other people, they hardly can be what we intended or anticipated, because things become important for us without previous advice (I really appreciated how two characters keep on meeting in a place they do not particularly like, and when they ask themselves why, they do not really have a reply). The basic rule to avoid the pain should be to be true to ourselves and to our loved ones, but this rule is frequently ignored, and when this happens, results come along accordingly.

I really appreciated the slow pace, the surprising ending, and the perfect setting (it's not easy to make a movie set in the 80's! It's basically an historical movie, with the exception that most of the audience may have some personal memory of that time, so you have to be very careful to make them believe it). I would suggest this movie especially to young couples: it's a map of the dangers and risks of adulthood and marriage, some kind of tourist guide for places of the soul you do not want to visit.