Real: O Plano por Trás da História

Here's an interesting story that gets a decent and palatable translation to the screen which revolves around the masterminds responsible for creating the Real, a monetary currency that changed Brazil political and economical system, injecting hope and vision to the population, and removing the inflation nightmare from the economy. It's a good story but never great as I think it should be. The elements to create such great film exist but in order to apease certain audiences the film was made too easy to please.

The reason for "Real - O Plano por Trás da História" being an average film instead of a brilliant film is that its nature although new in some aspects is lost in two things: a political ideology that isn't toned down and almost becomes a nostalgic protest for the return of a certain political period; and it's lack of originality by just trying to have a soul of its own. This movie screams of "The Social Network" all over the place to an annoying point. All I could think was that the script was turning Gustavo Franco (Real's creator) into an obnoxious genius savior of the world and man of the moment just as Mark Zuckerberg was when Facebook was released. They sure had their importance but geniality is none of those; and to elevate Franco to the extent of a terrible individual who's also a brilliant economist is to give him too much credit for the nation's economical safety.

It borrows so many elements from Fincher's masterpiece that it's almost embarassing, and a talented writer and director could have chosen a different look and tone for this.

Examples of how similar they are: just look at the opening scene where Franco (played by a frightening and inspired Emílio Orciollo Neto), his girlfriend and their friends are having a nice dinner until Franco and his best mate (Klebber Toledo) get into an ideological/political fist-fight that breaks their relationship. Our lead loses the friend and his girl thanks to his combative nature, lack of tact and mister-know-it-all. Mark and Erica break-up plus the Saverin court situation are mirrored here - the court situation here is an interview with a reporter (Cássia Kis, so weak) years later after Franco's success with the Real, this time facing criminal charges from the opposition. So, here's something that doesn't stand on its own.

Back to the other issue, the politics. I'm not critical of the Real neither the economic system as presented here but I'm critical of some excessive praise on objectionable facts about the money's creation, and that goes back to the main character, his philosophy and history. Why the makers felt so important to show Franco's idealization of Napoleon and the Nazi regime when the economist has to present the influences behind his successful plan? This only makes us like the man even less after seeing him time and again mistreating and making less of people.

The film gives credit to all sides involved with the Real Plan and the different thoughts from the economy team brought by future president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, it really shows how explosive and divided those men were with Franco making his case by putting two different currencies working at the same time while others were making less risky schemes. Fact is: Gustavo Franco succeed it with the boldest of plans and Real still stands despite the up's and down's of the market system; it's bumpy years in the late 1990's; but at the same time it served a political partisanship to win elections and enter into people's mind as a perfect era when it wasn't all that good.

The key issue of the movie is first rate and viewers who don't know much about economy or hate its terms will find here a film easy to follow. The acting was enjoyable and decent (Tato Gabus as future minister Pedro Malan was amazing; the actor who plays José Serra captured with excellency the politician's voice and mannerisms; and Toledo's only moment was a show-stealer that kept me waiting for his return). Thumbs up from me, a highly watchable movie but sadly divisive. 6/10.

A film that is literally "REAL". It shows that even a left-wing government like FHC can do well with right-wing leaders in the leadership. 😉

It was a plan that simply had to work. The president had been impeached for malpractice (he'd actually confiscated everybody's savings, leading many honest people to suicide when they were unable to honour their financial commitments; it was later discovered he'd tipped off his friends, who made a killing as the only ones in the country with spare cash) and inflation was spinning out of control. The country had seen a succession of failed economic plans since the beginning of the 80s and the population wasn't in a mood to be taken in anymore, since the plans only seemed to serve specific interests, not the country as a whole. This is the story of how the Real Plan came about and brought financial stability to a country that was in desperate need of it, since Brazilians couldn't even plan for the short term, much less the medium and long terms one needs to build a successful future. As a result, despite being buffeted by a series of international crises, in Asia, Russia, Mexico and Argentina (which led investors to withdraw funds to cover losses elsewhere), Brazil enjoyed a period of prosperity that paved the way for the economic boom of the new millennium and the country seemed to be moving from 3rd world to 2nd world and heading for 1st world status, as a rising force in the international scenario. Unfortunately, the PT took power in the new millennium and set to ransacking the public sector, while taking corruption to unprecedented levels, as they sought to consolidate that usual communist goal of power in perpetuity. But to understand that you'll have to watch the even better film "Polícia Federal: A Lei É Para Todos".

This is a curious case of propaganda film that shades some situations in order to disguise its intentions as if it were a neutral portrayal of an event in Brazilian history, and that presents its hero as a bizarre human despite being him a true character. The film presents politicians as a band of liars, stupid and irresponsible people, while neoliberal economists are shown as the clever guys who can see the truth, being the most hysterical, moody and psycho of them precisely the most able to find the right path, the most altruist, and the one who suffers unfair critics. Although casting is far from bad, actors do not remind the real characters they portray (except for well done hairdressing), neither in personality nor in niceties (José Serra is the remarkable exception, as Arthur Kohl could talk exactly just like him). The way everybody in the movie talk frenziedly (or even breathless!) and ridiculous and misplaced soundtrack are the ways director tries so hard to make a heroic thriller about what is actually a biased office story of snob technocrats. Edition and cinematography are decent sometimes, but also embarassingly cheesy in others. The script has several artificial situations and dialogue lines which are full of affectedness. This film shows its problems since the very beginning, but it worsens as it advances, becoming more boring and caricatural until the end, when financial scandal of Banestado is textually discussed as if it were legal.

Our exciting film, a piece of our history, seen in detail with this film, is vibrant and we stand practically standing, watching the bowels of power and the wars that have passed in the government of Brazil.

Wow, what performances, what movie, people, see, eat this movie, is the history of Brazil is my story, something indescribable to speak what I feel when I see, we see our story being told, there are emotions. The mistakes and correctness we had in terms of country. It's almost right, we had public wrist men, but there are people who always throw stones.

It's amazing to see this movie, its soundtrack leaves us torn apart. We practically want to get into the movie and hit the wrong points we had.

The filmmaker Rodrigo Bittencourt (Totally Innocent in 2012) makes his second foray into the cinema, and I say that we will have other future productions of this level, telling a REAL story, from our new country.

Congratulations director! And what to talk about the performances, are a show, the famous people of our politics have actors who resemble, was a great job of leaving the characters close to the real.

Congratulations to all and especially to the protagonist the actor Emilio Orciollo Netto, made debut in novels in the King of the Cattle (96), like Giuseppe Berdinazzi, paper that would be of Raul Cortez in the second phase. Afterwards, he did Angel Bad (97) ...... until he entered the cast of Gabriela (2012), integrates Human Rights Movement, great work and everyone here.