Brazilian cinema has been taking new directions in recent years, even gaining more notoriety inside and outside our territory. In 2019, there were 327 Brazilian productions on screens, but down 10% compared to 2018.
However, our productions are still very underrated and rarely appear among the highest-grossing films in the country in annual lists. This, however, does not mean that quality is lacking. Brazilian cinema went through two major phases of success: the period between the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s and the great resurgence of national cinema, in the mid-90s, which lasts until today.
In the first phase, Brazil produced great films, including two critical successes and world classics: Orfeu Negro and O Pagador de Promessas. The first, produced in partnership with France, took the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1960 – however, even though it was recorded in Brazil and all in Portuguese, the award belongs to France because the director of the film was French. “O Pagador de Promessas” brought the Palme d'Or to Brazil, the most important statuette at the Cannes Film Festival.
However, after O Pagador de Promessas, national cinema entered a limbo of productions with little notoriety and little cultural value. It was only in 1995 that Tupiniquim cinema began to breathe again: “Carlota Joaquina – Princess of Brazil” brought the vigor that the film industry needed to take back the reins and produce good films. The coolest thing of all? Besides being a great movie, was starred, written, produced and directed by women.
Following the film, cinema revived and produced productions such as “O Quatrilho” and “O Que é Isso, Companheiro?”, both nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1998, Central do Brasil figure as a favorite for the same award (lost to the Italian Life is Beautiful) and Fernanda Montenegro was the first Brazilian actress to compete for the Best Actress statuette.
After that, films such as “City of God”, an international success (and nominated for 4 awards, including Best Director), “City of Men”, “Tropa de Elite” and. in recent years, films like “My Mother is a Piece” have brought millions to theaters.
With that in mind, and in celebration of the Brazilian Cinema Day, which is celebrated on the day June 19, we chose some of the best Brazilian movies, and we even mentioned which streaming platforms they are on. The list is divided into two parts: movies that are easy to find on places like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Globoplay, and others that can be seen in other ways. Let's go?
NETFLIX
Reflections of a Blender
A woman's husband suddenly disappears, and as the police try to discover the man's whereabouts, his wife begins to reflect on their relationship with the help of... a talking blender.
The story sounds a little crazy (and it is), but it's extremely entertaining. The film, which is a mixture of satire/comedy with suspense, is short and extremely well tied. Launched in 2010, it caused little buzz, but since it arrived on Netflix, it has won the screens of many people – and I swear, it's so worth it! It's one of those movies that you don't blink for a second (or only when you stop to laugh, either because of the comedy or because of the suspense).
The sound around
Kléber Mendonça Filho is one of the most renowned directors of Brazilian cinema in recent years. The guy directed the excellent Bacurau, from 2019, and Aquarius, one of the most praised films of the last decade worldwide.
Kléber's recognition, however, came with The sound around. The film tells the story of a group of well-heeled neighbors who decide to hire a security team for their building, but in the end these people end up causing them even more problems.
Today I Want to Go Back Alone
Launched in 2014, Today I Want to Go Back Alone softened the hearts of many people for Brazilian cinemas. The film tells the story of Léo, a blind boy who suffers daily from society's prejudices, especially within his school. Having only one great friend in the room, the boy wins the friendship of a newcomer in the room.
What could just be a good story of friendship and overcoming prejudices with people with disabilities is actually a good romance story: the boys end up falling in love with each other. It is precisely for the beauty of the story that the film is worth it, having been listed by several channels as one of the best Brazilian films of the year and being nominated for Best Release at the GLAAD Awards, one of the main awards for the LGBT+ community in the world.
Like our parents
The film that bears the name of one of the most emblematic MPB songs is one of the most interesting productions of our “recent” cinema (it is from 2017, but it counts, right?!). Rosa, the main character, is a typical woman of the XNUMXst century, who is divided between the functions of the house, her career and her family – which include her parents, her absent husband and her two daughters.
The relationship with her parents is complicated, as both are progressive, while she is a little more conservative than them. In addition, her marriage is not on the best of days and, in addition, she fears for the future of her daughters. An almost real story, the film is incredible for addressing important issues such as anxiety, generational difference and love relationships themselves. And the coolest thing is to see its intertextuality – part of the story looks a lot like one of the short stories of The Disillusioned Woman, one of the most acclaimed works of fiction by the French Simone de Beauvoir.
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AMAZON PRIME
God is Brazilian
Anyone who has never heard the phrase “God is Brazilian” every time the Brazilian Football Team wins a game is perhaps living with the wrong people. But in addition to being common jargon in our daily lives, this is also the name of one of the coolest films produced in Brazil in the early 2000s.
Starring Antônio Fagundes and Wagner Moura, God is Brazilian shows the period in which God, frustrated with the stupidities and mistakes of humanity, decides to seek a holy substitute for his position – God decided to take a vacation – and it is in Brazil where He comes to look for this person. The film, which is based on a work by João Ubaldo Ribeiro, is one of the best Brazilian comedies and, above all, shows the regionalism of the North and Northeast of the country.
City of God
The most famous community in the world is where one of the most recognized and internationally quoted Brazilian films takes place. He was recognized as one of the 100 best movies of all time by TEAM, one of the 200 Best Films of the XNUMXst Century by Empire It is one of best action movies in history by The Guardian.
And it's no wonder: approaching the experience in the Cidade de Deus community, the film portrays with great veracity episodes of violence, drug trafficking and child enticement in trafficking. But beyond that, the film is a true critique of an exclusionary and violent system towards people in communities, who suffer above all from social violence that spares them opportunities and a better future. It's a violent, disturbing and necessary film, even almost 20 years after its release.
Coffee with Cinnamon
Margarida, the protagonist of the film, lost her son and, after that, ended up moving away from her husband and isolating herself in her house. She loses contact with all the people from her past, until one day Violeta, her former student, decides to visit her and brings the character back to the world.
This is the brief history of Café com Cancela, one of the most moving Brazilian films of recent years. Addressing nuances such as motherhood and depression, it is an extremely necessary film because, in addition to the exciting story, it is the first Brazilian feature film with a black woman at the helm for over 30 years. Moreover, it is one of the few films recorded in the Bahian reconcavo, showing the long path that the film industry needs to travel to be in the whole country. The cast includes Valdinéia Soriano, Aline Brunne and Babu Santana.
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GLOBOPLAY
What time does she come back?
Starred by Regina Casé, What time does she come back? is one of the most beautiful and hard films of recent Brazilian cinema. In the film, Casé plays Val, a maid for an upper-class family in São Paulo. Northeastern and low-income, she left her daughter at home to take care of the house and the children of her bosses.
Dealing with the extreme reality of the situation of many domestic workers in Brazil, it is also a very beautiful film. Val's simplicity enchants, her affection for her foster children – or rather, her employers' children – overflows the canvases. But the distance from her family, little money and mistreatment by her bosses are also frightening.
It is precisely in this game of powers, drastic changes and a representation very similar to reality that the film enchants. It's one of those productions that leave you with tears in your eyes. Same.
My mother is a piece
The first film in which Paulo Gustavo took Dona Hermínia to the big screen in Brazil is a milestone in national cinema. In the movie, the Mrs. Herminia she is the mother of two children who consider her boring, and that is why she decides to spend some time at her aunt's house.
What was supposed to be a calmer moment in the character's life unfolds into a bunch of hilarious scenes that involve Dona Hermínia's past. One of the best-known characters in Brazilian cinema in recent years, the film was a box office success and spawned two other sequels, both appearing on the list of Top 10 national box office of all time.
Elis
Elis the Queen was the greatest Brazilian singer of all time – that according to Rolling Stone, one of the most important magazines in the music industry.
“Elis” is a biographical film released in 2016 and tells the singer's life story. From persecution by the military during the dictatorship, through problems with drugs and alcohol, to her early death, it is a necessary film to understand the singer's life.
It is a beautiful and real representation of the life of the singer who, more than 30 years after her death, remains immortal in the repertoire of all Brazilians.
And the others?
Brazilian cinema is very rich, but some films are not yet part of the catalog of many streaming services. Therefore, we have chosen 5 pieces that you must see – and that can be found on some channels, such as Mubi, NetNOW and Telecine. Join the list:
- Bacurau
- O Pagador de Promessas (the original, from 1962)
- My orange tree file
- Black Orpheus
- Central do Brasil
- Madame Satan
- The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
Did you like our directions? Did we leave any important works of national cinema out of the list? Tell us on our instagram, the @UlivingBrasil!
