Allegoric dark humor political film with musical and surrealist elements. It discusses how Brazil sees the very self-indentity. The country denies the native people as uncivilized, near phe-historic human species, unable to talk, but forge them as empty symbols, deprived from whom they actually were. Meanwhile, Brazil aims to be similar to the most powerful countries, a goal represented here by the rocket, but expectedly fails. The country of the future lies and pretends in the present, ignoring or fictionalizing the past. By the way, in the story, military dictatorship possibly completes its 36th year (as a general is appointed as president in 2000; actually it ended after long 21 years) and Amazon has probably been turned into a great farm (as the family wanted to migrate there in order to work in agriculture. While the story is held three decades in the future, in year 2000, there is no futuristic aesthetics, and it was actually discussing the present in the 60's, with the concerns, prejudices and projects of those years. I loved the opening letterings.
The film is far from perfect, but its qualities, bravery and creativity make it worth being watched and much more aknowledged. Among the drawbacks I shall highlight the pace, particularly in the middle of the movie, when it seems a little lost, as if stuck in the swamp, differently from inspired acidic beginning and poetic ending. Another major problem in my opinion is the journalist, an undeveloped character whose reason and justification are far from clear. Perhaps he is a metaphor, appearing as a fey or goblin just to unveil that spread illusion. Indeed, as he said in his first appearence, he wanted to "see the lie from the truest angle". To resume, I add that it was very nice to watch the film both in the big screen and after listening to Walter Lima Jr. Himself talking about it, in CCBB.
