The film covers the dying days of a Rio de Janeiro drive-in that opened business in the 1970's but was forced to close down its operations after losing space with audiences, for
countless reasons. Echoing with the title of Bogdanovich's classic film "The Last Picture Show", the film follows the drive-in owner who also happens to be a great cinephile, and here he
shares his experiences with the place, from small memories of movies that were box-office hits up to its last legs years with crowd reduction due to piracy having cinema movies before
release among budgetary issues and lack of support from the community and public administration.
A quite rarity since the majority of know drive-ins closed down ages before this one (2007, probably, as evidenced by two films that were new releases at the time). Along with the
owner, the film projectionist and two female patrons share some stories about the place and the importance of the drive-in in their lives. It is a sad story to see a place that provided
so many good moments to so many people through the years but it happens. It happened with the drive-in time and again (but you can spot a few ressurecting or being created in recent years
since there's countless of nostalgic generations who miss those good old days and a new generation who have a curiosity in getting the experience of watching a movie from their vehicles.
But I felt sad for the man and wondered what happened to him, if he ever got back to the business in some way or gave it up of everything. The day after the exhibition of their last movie, of
which we are told only three people showed up, is painful to see.
As someone who loves movies, this is a small yet interesting project to watch, one that can echo memories from the old days of cinema. When the man talks of the biggest hits
shown there, the ones that attracted most audiences, he lists "Midnight Express" among obvious choices such as "Jaws" and "The Terminator". Even a dramatic thriller could stand a chance
against the spectacle of Hollywood monsters, special effects and explosions. These days it's practically impossible for the human element to become a massive popular hit. Ah the feels...8/10.
