Malu

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

"Malu" isn't something very new as the stories about womanhood and woman life from different perspectives have been discussed or explored in the past. Yet, filmmaker Pedro Freire doesn't hold back on capturing the essences of the narrative and the strong directing, writing, and performances are on the top notch.

The narrative is simple but the exploration of it's main themes on generational trauma, Brazilian politics, and complex, possible toxic, relationships were well-executed and they felt grounded and realistic. The characters are complex and challenging but in a way where they don't feel annoying, rather feeling realistic, understanding, and interesting.

The dialogue between the characters were well-written with some strong moments that are still burned into my memory as of writing this. The performances from the entire cast members are pretty great with all providing strong emotions and charm to their characters. Freire really captured the generational complexity very well between the three main characters with strong ambitious tones, dialogue and writing to the setting.

There are some faults as some of the pacing could be improved and I personally felt the climax isn't fully as impactful as it could have been. Nevertheless, it's really good to see more independent and art-house Brazilian works coming out.

Malu is, above all, a tour de force of acting, anchored by the stunning, extraordinary performance of Yara de Novaes. Her portrayal of Malu is as energetic as it is fragile, as passionate as it is shaped by the traumas of various life stages - and it stands as one of the most memorable performances in recent Brazilian movies I have watched. In fact in all movies. Even with minor pacing flaws, and some lighting limitations (althought the night scene between Malu and her daughter is one of climaxes of the movie), the film moves and provokes reflection, especially on emotional legacies and the search for identity within one's own family.

If you're looking for a deep drama with top-tier performances, Malu deserves your attention.