Augusta Street is one of the hottest spots in São Paulo that manages to unite all social classes, many walks of life and peculiar realities.
It's a cultural shock with countless businesses, but it's mostly known for the late night bars and their non-stop movement, a great place to have
happy hour at practically any hour of the clock. Here in this movie the streets and its diversity is seen through the eyes of decadent reporter
Alex (Mario Bortolotto) who lives in the area and he's constantly torn apart between obsessions: his devotion to a prostitute (Caroline
Abras) of which he's a regular costumer, and the mystical Azúcar (Maira Chasseroux), with her Shamanism rituals that presents some visions to the man.
The story, if there is one with beginning, middle and ending is not important. The heart of the matter is in seeing how Alex and the other
characters blend into the place, how they connect with each other and the street which is the main character, mostly filmed at night where everything
and anything can happen. If you're looking for a conventional film where there are thrills and actions or some major change into a charmless leading
man then look elsewhere. He's a womanizer, irresponsible and hardly sympathetic, and the small characters that attract our attention, like the
pimp/security man played by Juliano Cazarré or the guy who links Alex to Azúcar (played by Milhem Cortaz) are quite reduced.
It's a mere case of style over substance yet it entertain us very easily. While the story is somewhat pathetic, without depth except for the
visions Alex suffers throughout the film, the visuals and how the city and the street is presents is authentic, almost like a documentary and it's
great to look. Veteran cinematographer Aloysio Raulino was a true master in capturing the street scenes of São Paulo as evidenced in his countless
short documentaries and the feature "Noites Paraguayas" and he really knew how to film the city with its countless contrasts and different places.
It has the feel of a documentary except that we have actors interacting in the surroundings, much like many French New Wave filmmakers did back in
the day, you capture the essence of a place and build a story within.
Some comedic moments and some bizarre sequences as well also make the film worth seeing, but don't expect much change on Alex patterns and
behaviors throughout the story. I'd threw some danger, more excitment and more challenges to the character in order to improve the lack of story development. Because the whole atmosphere of the scenario is amazing and doesn't disappoint. 6/10.
