In the small Pedra Grande in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul, the high-school student Daniel (Pedro Tergolina) spends a normal adolescence life with his family, studying, riding bicycle, playing games in Internet and expecting one day to move to the big city of Porto Alegre. Daniel has a crush on his girlfriend Mim (Bianca Menti), who has just broken with him but is still his friend, and his best friend is Lucas (Eduardo Cardoso), who is one of the best students in São Lucas High-School. Daniel is the son of Elaine (Janaína Kremer Motta) and the photographer Daniel (Eduardo Moreira), who left Elaine when she was pregnant and moved alone to Thailand. Daniel is raised by Elaine and his stepfather Antônio (Murilo Grossi) and he has a half-sister, Maria Clara (Caroline Guedes). One day, Daniel receives a letter from his biological father that has malaria and he is reluctant to open the envelope. Then he offers to help Lucas in his duties in the school laboratory, but when the jealous Daniel realizes that his friend is dating Mim, he blows up and breaks the laboratory, leaving the key on the door. Lucas is blamed by the headmaster and is suspended from classes and examinations. Daniel decides to tell the truth to the headmaster and he learns that a laptop was stolen from the lab. When he goes to the house of his friend to tell the news, he finds the laptop inside Lucas' wardrobe. Meanwhile Daniel starts to correspond with his father and they start to know each other.
"Antes Que o Mundo Acabe" is a delightful come of age story, supported by a great screenplay and surprisingly great performances of the amateurish cast of teenagers and child. This is the debut of the director Ana Luiza Azevedo in the cinema and also the debut of Pedro Tergolina (Daniel), Eduardo Cardoso (Lucas), Bianca Menti (Mim) and Caroline Guedes (Maria Clara) and that give convincing performances and never disappoint. The pleasant story follows the style of the gaucho Jorge Furtado, who is one of the screenplay writers together with Paulo Halm, Ana Luiza Azevedo and Giba Assis Brasil, and tells the troubled moment of the countryside teenager Daniel, who is facing deception with his best friend, jealousy with his girlfriend and curiosity with his unknown father and is narrated by his younger half-sister. One of the best moments and dialogs in this film is the ethical questioning of Mim to Daniel about the difference between stealing candies and notebook. Despite it is not an original story, this film really entertains and it is worthwhile watching this enjoyable little film. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Antes Que o Mundo Acabe" ("Before the World Ends")
