Achados e Perdidos

Forget the favelas of Rio, this film has the texture of the everyday life (or at least everyday emotions) of a retired policeman whose past haunts him. Antonio Fagundes as the policeman and the two actresses who play prostitutes are credible throughout. The photography and rhythm of the film contribute to making this a superior film. The movie has a political subtext both past and present that take it beyond the apparent story. This was one of two Brazilian films I saw with Spanish subtitles at a film festival recently. The other, Alice's House, won an award at the festival. This one didn't but it sticks in my memory because of the characterization, underscored by subtle lighting. The end is in the tradition of the famed Brazilian writer Machado de Assis. I think even dubbed the film would be engrossing.

In Rio de Janeiro, the retired police officer Vieira (Antônio Fagundes) has a simple life with his pension plan, living in a small apartment in Copacabana and having an old car. He has never got married, and when he was about sixty years old, he met the prostitute and striper Magali (Zezé Polessa) that works in a night-club in Copacabana; they have fallen in love for each other and become lovers. When Magali is found dead in her apartment, tied in her bed with a plastic bag in her head, Vieira becomes the prime suspect of the police. The young prostitute Flor (Juliana Knust) visits the grieving Vieira and promises to take care of him, and he gets involved with her. Meanwhile, the politician and former policeman Monteiro (Genésio de Barros) schedules a meeting with Vieira, and harasses him with his past, trying to force Vieira to execute the prosecutor Antunes (Flávio Bauraqui) that is investigating his involvement with death squad.

I have just watched "Achados e Perdidos", a great neo-noir Brazilian movie with outstanding screenplay, direction and performances. The realistic story in the underworld of Copacabana is disclosed in non-chronological sequences and touches of eroticism through the gorgeous and sexy Zezé Polessa and Juliana Knust. There is an irrelevant flaw in the plot, since the way Magali actually died would be easily discovered in the autopsy, but this detail never compromises the good story. Zezé Polessa is amazing and her awesome performance gives the sensation that she is indeed a prostitute. Juliana Knust has a fantastic body, is extremely beautiful and is very convincing in the role of the ambitious slut. The veteran Antônio Fagundes is perfect as usual in the role of a man that has honestly lived at least the last thirty years of his life, but is haunted and chased by his dark past. Malu Galli has a minor but important participation in the role of the decadent drug addicted prostitute Vanessa. The direction is also excellent, and looking in the profile of director José Joffily, I have seen that he dominates the cinema industry with an eclectic background in this segment. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Achados e Perdidos" ("Lost and Found")