First of all, I would like to say that I have no religion or spiritual belief; therefore, I was reluctant to see "Chico Xavier". Further, I have never followed the life or achievements of Chico Xavier, and I am absolutely impressed with his biography.
This film has a magnificent screenplay, following the remarkable life of Chico Xavier since he was nine years old in 1919 through flashbacks in the Saulo Guimarães' talk show and the personal drama of the atheist TV director Orlando and his wife Glória that lost their beloved son in an accident with a weapon with his best friend.
The acting is top-notch, and the unknown boy Matheus Costa is spectacular in the role of a nine year-old Chico Xavier. The haunting music score is another plus in this film.
For those like me that do not know the biography of Chico Xavier, I would like to highlight the following information:
Chico Xavier's spiritual guide was Emmanuel. He wrote 412 books; sold 40 million units in 33 languages, including 30 books in Braille. However, Chico Xavier has denied the authorship of the books and has never received any copyright for any book. All the revenue with the selling has been donated to beneficent institutions. Another interesting point is that Chico Xavier has always said that he would die when the Brazilian people would be happy. He died on 30 June 2002, with 92 years old and ten hours after the Brazilian soccer team wins the World Cup for the fifth time.
Last but not the least; this film is better and better than "Lula, O Filho do Brasil" that was selected to dispute the nomination to the Oscar in the Best Foreign Language category.
My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Chico Xavier"
