I believe this is the exact same entry as the one featured on the special "Caso Especial" that also has a page entry here but it's listed with
a different director. Same cast and released on the same year, it follows the story of Jorge (Antônio Fagundes), a hard-working truck driver with an
almost impossible task of delivering an important load in one week period. He and his mates will dangerous situations and desolate places as they cross
many roads and ways during a rainy season which prevents them from keep going or either they need to find quick solutions to get the job done in time.
During their businesses, which at times can have some fun moments, Jorge reflects about his life as a truck driver and the loyalty given to his boss,
of whom he considers as a friend. But on the course of days and events, he slowly realises who are his real friends and what are the most important
things in life.
Here's an enjoyable TV project that makes some small reflections on the lives and working conditions faced by truck drivers in Brazil and how
difficult everything is. Fagundes is always a delight to watch and you know he's always believable behind a truck, as most people know him as Pedro,
the truck driver in the series "Carga Pesada", which came a year after this film and then got a second version in the early 2000's.
However, as much as I liked this film I prefer the 1989 remake starring Carlos Alberto Ricelli as it is a more complex and multi-layered dramatic
film, with many serious obstacles and difficulties faced by the title character and it's a nicely composed human drama with many interesting questionings
and dilemas. They have the same base, many similar sequences but that movie worked more for the drivers cause than this enthusiastic early version where
everything is quickly solved in a positive manner rather than the pessimist, near tragic scenarios from the cinema film. That was a fascinating road
movie (only ruined with its excessive flashbacks and poor use of narration); this is a manageable and fun movie wronged by its TV style of presentation
with excessive cuts and close-up shots that makes your head spin. The typical old-fashioned soap opera format, of which I'm not a fan.
"Jorge, um Brasileiro" offers some nice entertainment and a curious look on the tough routine of truck drivers. 6/10.
