O Fim e o Princípio

Eduardo Coutinho is a master of making interviewees feel confortable to express themselves and reveal their intimacy even when it is not easy and they are not accostumed to cameras and strange people. Whereas it is very clear in his documentary Edificio Master, in a huge urban building in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, he was able to do it again in O fim e o Princípio, in deep Northeastern Brazilian hinterland. Testimonies are very true, reactions are quite interesting, good simple people showing what they have in common as a community in Paraíba countryside and what each of them has as an unique individual. Many interesting issues appear, such as how love affairs are built, religiousness, their relation with traditional and formal knowledges, happiness and frustration, vanity and roots, shyness and humor, afraid of death and missing the dead, tough life in the farm, and a lot of electoral propaganda clothing. Eduardo Coutinho asks the local woman who he talks to in the very beginning where he could find interesting people. It was not a serious doubt, as he knows more than most filmmakers that interesting people are everywhere; what he wanted was having her as the hostess and as an interviewer together with him. It worked quite well and also brought more interesting elements to this excellent film.

Eduardo Coutinho is a master of making interviewees feel confortable to express themselves and reveal their intimacy even when it is not easy and they are not accostuned to cameras and strange people. Whereas it is very clear in his documentary Edificio Master, in a huge urban building in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, he was able to do it again in O fim e o Princípio, in deep Northeastern Brazilian hinterland. Testimonies are very true, reactions are quite interesting, good simple people showing what they have in common as a community in Paraíba countryside and what each of them has as an unique individual. Many interesting issues appear, such as how love affairs are built, religiousness, their relation with traditional and formal knowledges, happiness and frustration, vanity and roots, shyness and humor, afraid of death and missing the dead, tough life in the farm, and a lot of electoral propaganda clothing. Eduardo Coutinho asks the local woman who he talks to in the very beginning where he could find interesting people. It was not a serious doubt, as he knows more than most filmmakers that interesting people are everywhere; what he wanted was having her as the hostess and as an interviewer together with him. It worked quite well and also brought more interesting elements to this excellent film.

Well, this movie is quite intersting, its about a poor life in the northeastern of Brazil, but it doesn't mean that is not a happy life. I mean, this remember me when my grandma talks about her childhood and her life in general, in the same way it's a life that people who lives in big cities isn't acquainted and don't care so much(and that's sad). I guess my only problem with this movie was the director, sometimes he seems disconnected with that people. But it's worth it to see.