The reality presented in "Suburban Angels" is so dark, stark and believable that for a couple of moments you forget you're watching a movie with
known Brazilian actors and begin to think you're watching a re-enactment of real events that seem to come from the news. It's truly one of those experiences
you're very sure that you heard it on the news or heard it happening to someone you know, or worst it may have happened with you.
Carlos Reichenach's film tells the story of three female teachers facing challenging routines and hard situations while living in the poor outskirts
of São Paulo. It's a gritty and depressive story but one that must be seen since it's an eye-opener to reality and how one can fight against the difficult
situations one is living, and it's all up to us to make that step further and make a good choice. Too bad that it wasn't so easy for those characters, but
neither it is with us.
The trio is composed by Carmo (Irene Stefânia), a woman who gave up of her career as a teacher in order to become the submissive housewife
of Henrique (Ênio Gonçalves), a small-time lawyer who doesn't want his wife working outside and neither wants her friends around; the courageous
Dália (Betty Faria), a lesbian who hides her sexual orientation from everybody and uses of a gay best friend (Emílio Di Biasi) to pose as her
boyfriend, and she also deals with an alcoholic/drug-addict brother (Ricardo Blat) who has an impulse urge for not only addiction but also with
whenever women is around him; and Rosa (Clarisse Abujamra), a neurotic woman involved in a love affair with her superior at work (José de Abreu),
a married man who doesn't want commitment with her.
Their lives are surrounded with obstacles, dangers, non-fulfillments and frustrations but there's a fourth female figure who has it worse,
Aninha (Vanessa Alves), a young woman object of desire by all men who gets raped by a military man (Kiko Guerra) known of hers - it's never quite clear if they
were dating or he just seduced her; and also gets some violent treatment from her old husband (for quite some time I kept thinking he was her
father because the film failed to establish their connection). After stabbing the latter, she's rescued by Henrique who provides her with a job at his house, some
comfort. But her desire for revenge against the man who raped her doesn't disappear and thanks to Henrique's connection with the police, and having a gun she's at
the brink of reaching her desire.
"Suburban Angels" problematic challenge on us is to where those women find some comfort and happiness in their lives while living in a
chaotic and violent scenario where reality hits them so hard that it feels like there's no escape and all men are terrible. Carmo wants to go back at teaching but her
macho husband is completely against. Will she ever succeed it or stay in a lifeless marriage where she only pleases her man? Dália wants to have
a meaningul relationship with another woman but she hides so much within herself in order to not face prejudice from society. Will she be able to
do that, or at least find ways to save her brother from self-destruction? And Rosa wants a deep commitment with her love but he's a brutish guy
who can't make up his mind? Is it worth to continue with such affair or maybe she can get involved with Henrique's friend, a single guy who wants her?
The movie is a crescendo of events that doesn't seem to connect with each other for a while neither feels that we're destined to a great
resolve. It's not much of a gripping storytelling but it manages to leave us immersed and curious all the way through. Except for the weekend in
the beach sequence, which breaks the movie in an awkward way with countless humored moments revolving the drunk gay lover of Dália, the movie is a
solid drama with touches of a good thriller and all actors are very good. It doesn't answer much of our questions but that's good. Any viewer can find
their own interpretations and reasonings for how those characters end up, if too good or too bad. That's very close to life. 9/10.
