Marte Um

Poignant Brazilian film about the everyday struggle of a middle class black Brazilian family in Minas Gerais state. The characters are memorable, and so is the soundtrack, photography... The producer company ("Filmes de Plástico") is responsible for some of the best contemporary Brazilian coinema. Their titles usually deal in a very subdued way about the contradictions of Brazilian society - racism, poverty, homophobia -, as well as universal themes - love, family -, in a small-to-medium city landscape, such as Contagem, in Minas Gerais. This film is a far cry from the louder Brazilian films of the 80s or 90s, but not less creative for that.

Great film.

Completely in love with this genre of films that mix science fiction, drama, raw reality (community, violence, brotherhood), a new aspect of national cinema, with an unparalleled identification, a faithful and generous portrait, which escapes the global Leblon... A strong film, with stupendous and natural performances (most with little or no experience in cinema) that touches us deeply, moves us and enchants us, we feel part of the family, simple, captivating, delicate and passionate... Wonderful...

A black family from the outskirts of Contagem, Minas Gerais, seeks to follow their dreams in a country that has just elected as president a far-right man, who represents the opposite of everything they are.

The film shows the daily life of a family from the outskirts, in the last months of 2018, shortly after the presidential elections. The boy Deivid, the youngest of the Martins family, dreams of being an astrophysicist and participating in a mission that will colonize the red planet in 2030. Living on the outskirts of a large urban center, there are few opportunities for this, but he still doesn't give up. He spends hours watching videos and lectures about astronomy on the internet.

His father is a doorman in an elite building and has not had a drink for a long time, a fact he proudly shares in Alcoholics Anonymous sessions. Tércia is the matriarch who, after an incident involving a TV prank, believes she is suffering from a curse. Finally, the eldest daughter is Eunice, who wants to move into an apartment with her girlfriend but doesn't have the courage to tell her parents.

The movie "Mars One" delves into the daily lives of a typical low-middle-class family residing in the urban landscape of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Against the backdrop of a far-right political change, the family grapples with their individual challenges and dreams enhancing their humanity and resilience.

What enhances the movie's authenticity and emotional impact is its depiction of a black family: the father working as a building janitor, the mother employed as a maid, their daughter juggling law studies and tutoring, and their teenage son's dreams of becoming an astrophysicist. In this context, the very good director and creator Gabriel Martins crafts parallel storylines for each character, which are bound to intertwine and intersect as the film unfolds.

The story unfolds around a father's ambition to nurture his son into a professional football player, a mother struggling with emotional trauma and a belief in her ability to bring bad luck to everyone around her, a daughter defying her parents' conservative ideals to follow her own path, and a son torn between fulfilling his father's expectations and pursuing his fascination with the cosmos. The movie's beauty emanates from the delicate, original, and authentic performances of each character, with Rejane Faria's portrayal of Tercia, the mother, deserving special recognition. She serves as the guiding force weaving together all these stories.

"Mars One" is a heartfelt film that portrays the lives of an ordinary family, discussing everyday experiences with a universal appeal. Its themes are relatable to families worldwide, irrespective of their cultural background. The movie beautifully illustrates that the dream of Mars transcends borders and is a shared aspiration for humanity as a whole.

Originally premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition selection.

Marte Um (Mars One) is directed by Gabriel Martins and it's the story about The Martins family who are optimistic dreamers, quietly leading their lives in the margins of a major Brazilian city following the disappointing inauguration of a far-right extremist president. A lower-middle-class Black family, they feel the strain of their new reality as the political dust settles. Originally I had no interest on seeing this one because it sounded like a basic family movie that may be cheesy. But when it premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, I decided to give it a chance.

It surprised me honestly. There is a lot to appreciate about this movie. Director Gabriel Martins has definitely proved himself that he is talent with his movies when it comes to demonstrating family dynamics, characters and the approach on harsh reality. The camerawork is well shot throughout as it helped to display the atmosphere and environment of the movie's setting. Helps to build the character and understand them for what they are going through. All the performances are well done particular actors Carlos Francisco and Camilla Damião does an amazing job capturing the personality of their characters. The soundtrack is fitting and many moments were touching and quite satisfying at the end of the day.

Family dynamic films can be interesting and rough to watch depending how you view because every family has experience different ways of going through life and going through the hardships. But Director Martins succeeds with his family dramatic movie with heartfelt moments that may make you cry.

Wholesome.

Rating: A-

Rotten tomato claimed this was a Sci-Fi film due to its title and very high level relationship to Mars. One character has a dream to visit Mars. However, it really is a story about struggles in life and how to find solace/happiness with what you're given. Family Members each experience struggles in their areas. We learn about how they each overcome them. Film is in Portuguese with English subtitles. Overall, I would say subtitles were pretty accurate. Music was infrequent but sufficient. Background audio/effects were used a lot to help set atmosphere. This was done very well. Overall, a good film just a bit falls short of being classified as sci-fi.