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Nice films with stories held in São Paulo

by guisreis • Created 8 years ago • Modified 2 months ago
Three other lists for Brazilian movies:
Great movies about/in Rio de Janeiro
Some nice Brazilian movies
Best Brazilian documentaries

I have also made a list of Brazilian movies with up to three films representative of each state.

Add: "Dia estranho", from 2014, directed by Flávio Rossi, with the participation of Paulo Miklos (I give it a 7).
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  • 159 titles
  • Rodrigo Santoro in Bicho de Sete Cabeças (2000)

    1. Bicho de Sete Cabeças

    20001h 14m
    7.7 (7.1K)
    A trip to the mental institution hell. This odyssey is lived by Neto, a middle class teenager, who lives a normal life until his father sends him to a mental institution after finding drugs on his pocket. The marijuana cigarette is just the final drop that exposes the family tragedy. Send to a mental institution, Neto gets to know a completely absurd, inhumane reality in which the people are devoured by a corrupt and cruel institution system. The documentary type language used by the director give this movie a sensation of realty that increases even more the impact of the emotions Neto goes through. In the mental institution, Neto is forced to mature. The transformations that he goes through change this relations with his father.
    DirectorLaís BodanzkyStarsRodrigo SantoroOthon BastosCássia Kis
  • Dirty Hearts (2011)

    2. Dirty Hearts

    20111h 30m
    6.8 (719)
    In 1945 the war was not over in Brazil: A death squad assassinated all the Japanese immigrants who accepted defeat.
    DirectorVicente AmorimStarsTsuyoshi IharaTakako TokiwaEiji Okuda
  • José Dumont in O Homem que Virou Suco (1980)

    3. O Homem que Virou Suco

    19801h 37m
    7.6 (426)
    São Paulo police mistakenly thinks a folk poet and singer is the same man who had stabbed his boss.
    DirectorJoão Batista de AndradeStarsJosé DumontAldo BuenoRafael de Carvalho
  • Fernanda Montenegro and Gianfrancesco Guarnieri in They Don't Wear Black Tie (1981)

    4. They Don't Wear Black Tie

    19812h
    8.2 (2.1K)
    Union leader's son doesn't want to engage in a strike, because his wife is pregnant, thus disregarding his father's tradition of political activism.
    DirectorLeon HirszmanStarsGianfrancesco GuarnieriFernanda MontenegroCarlos Alberto Riccelli
  • Regina Casé and Camila Márdila in The Second Mother (2015)

    5. The Second Mother

    20151h 52mR82Metascore
    7.8 (19K)
    When the estranged daughter of a hard-working live-in housekeeper suddenly appears, the unspoken class barriers that exist within the home are thrown into disarray.
    DirectorAnna MuylaertStarsRegina CaséHelena AlbergariaMichel Joelsas
  • Vladimir Brichta in Bingo: The King of the Mornings (2017)

    6. Bingo: The King of the Mornings

    20171h 53m
    7.9 (6.5K)
    When Augusto Mendes gets the role of Bingo, he goes through dilemmas such as the fact that he is an anonymous celebrity and that he can't reconcile his work and his family.
    DirectorDaniel RezendeStarsVladimir BrichtaLeandra LealTainá Müller
  • Califórnia (2015)

    7. Califórnia

    20151h 25m
    7.0 (889)
    São Paulo, 1984. Estela gets through the troubled phase of adolescence. Sex, love, friendship; everything looks too complicated. Her personal refuge is her uncle Carlos and the trip to California, where he lives, is her biggest dream. But everything falls apart when he comes back weak and ill. Between crisis and discoveries, Estela has to face a reality that will definitely change her way of seeing the world.
    DirectorMarina PersonStarsAren GalloCaio HorowiczCaio Blat
  • A Noite do Vampiro (2006)

    8. A Noite do Vampiro

    20066mShort
    7.9 (40)
    A vampire tries to sleep, but a terrible predator approaches.
    DirectorAlê Camargo
    An expressionist São Paulo!
    Review
    watch it here: http://portacurtas.org.br/filme/?name=a_noite_do_vampiro
  • Fabio Audi and Ghilherme Lobo in The Way He Looks (2014)

    9. The Way He Looks

    20141h 36mNot Rated71Metascore
    7.9 (29K)
    Leonardo is a blind teenager searching for independence. His everyday life, the relationship with his best friend Giovana, and the way he sees the world change completely with the arrival of Gabriel.
    DirectorDaniel RibeiroStarsGhilherme LoboFabio AudiTess Amorim
  • Rosi Campos, Diego Kozievitch, and Sérgio Mamberti in Castle Ra-Tim-Bum (1999)

    10. Castle Ra-Tim-Bum

    19991h 48m
    6.3 (828)
    A young wizard must create new spells in his magic book before the planets align. His uncle and aunt, powerful mages themselves, help him achieve that. Based on the award-winning Brazilian TV series.
    DirectorsLigia FelicianoCao HamburgerStarsDiego KozievitchRosi CamposSérgio Mamberti
  • The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2006)

    11. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation

    20061h 50mPG67Metascore
    7.3 (6.8K)
    A boy is left alone in a Jewish neighborhood in 1970, when the World Cup coincides with political crackdowns by the military dictatorship.
    DirectorCao HamburgerStarsMichel JoelsasGermano HaiutDaniela Piepszyk
  • Romeo & Juliet ...Get Married (2005)

    12. Romeo & Juliet ...Get Married

    20051h 30mNot Rated
    6.2 (1.2K)
    A Romeo-and-Juliet kind of love affair. The difference here is what sets the two lovers apart: their soccer teams. Being a fan of Corinthians, Romeu has to fake he really likes Palmeiras, in order to gain Julieta's heart.
    DirectorBruno BarretoStarsLuis GustavoLuana PiovaniMarco Ricca
  • Friendly Beast (2017)

    13. Friendly Beast

    20171h 38m
    6.3 (2.1K)
    The tense survival tale is set over several late-night hours in a sparsely-peopled Brazilian restaurant. When an armed robbery interrupts an already-terse dynamic between boss and customer, a group of virtual strangers are tossed into a frantic fight for their lives.
    DirectorGabriela AmaralStarsMurilo BenícioLuciana PaesIrandhir Santos
  • A Cidade dos Piratas (2018)

    14. A Cidade dos Piratas

    20181h 30mTV-MA
    6.9 (133)
    Inspired by the famous comics of cartoonist Laerte. The story merges the transition journey of the artist and of the director, who faces death after being diagnosed with cancer.
    DirectorOtto GuerraStarsAntonio AbujamraMarco ArrudaJean-Claude Bernardet
  • Rodrigo Brassoloto and Douglas Simon in Friendly Fire (1998)

    15. Friendly Fire

    19981h 16m
    7.3 (428)
    Brazil in the early 70s. Miguel, Eloi, Osvaldo and Paolo take part in armed attacks against the military dictatorship. They pay a heavy price with torture and arrest. Today the four friends still see each other. Only Miguel is politically active. On a photograph from a political meeting in Sao Paolo he recognises the policeman who tortured them 25 years ago and who was responsible for the death of Miguel's girlfriend. The policeman has been officially dead for a few years. On one of their fishing trips together, Miguel tells his friends of his discovery. When they hunt down and confront their nemesis they come into conflict with both themselves and each other.
    DirectorBeto BrantStarsLeonardo VillarHelio LahalZécarlos Machado
    Part of the film happens in São Paulo and part of it in Minas Gerais.
  • Durval Discos (2002)

    16. Durval Discos

    20021h 36mNot Rated
    7.1 (1.4K)
    Durval and his mother Carmita live at the back of "Durval Discos", a record store they own in São Paulo, specializing in vinyl records. They lead a boring and unattractive life, until the day Durval hires a maid, Celia, to help his mother with the housekeeping. However, on her second day, Celia goes away leaving a 5-year-old child behind, Kiki, and a note promising to be back in a couple of days. Durval and Celia are charmed by the child at first, but soon they see some sad news about Celia and Kiki on TV that will change the whole situation.
    DirectorAnna MuylaertStarsAry FrançaEtty FraserIsabela Guasco
  • Penas (2012)

    17. Penas

    201215mShort
    7.7 (13)
    Seeking for an explanation, a man stumbles across a story of fear, betrayal and explicit ornithology.
    DirectorPaulinho CarusoStarsFabio MarcoffAugustin MarsallaPaulo Porto
    It is spoken in Spanish; however, it has been made in São Paulo.
    You can watch this short film in this link: http://youtu.be/KBvG7_zDYec
  • Solidão 22B (2017)

    18. Solidão 22B

    201722mShort
    Two lonely sad women, an old one and a young poet, meet as neighbours in the last day of the year.
    DirectorJaqueline VargasStarsMayara ConstantinoSelma Egrei
  • Rosanne Mulholland in Falsa Loura (2007)

    19. Falsa Loura

    20071h 45m
    6.7 (588)
    Silmara, an industrial worker and a woman of exuberant beauty, supports her arsonist father and gets involved with two different pop stars, from whom she learns traumatic life lessons.
    DirectorCarlos ReichenbachStarsRosanne MulhollandCauã ReymondMaurício Mattar
  • Maitê Proença in A Dama do Cine Shanghai (1987)

    20. A Dama do Cine Shanghai

    19871h 55m
    6.4 (311)
    Real estate broker and former boxer enters an old cinema in the decadent downtown São Paulo and meets an intriguing and mysterious woman, very much alike the leading lady of the film. He gets involved with her and her problems and in no time is being accused of a crime.
    DirectorsGuilherme de Almeida PradoSara SilveiraStarsMaitê ProençaAntônio FagundesJosé Lewgoy
    Cinematography is particularly great, impressive! Many different angles and camera movements are successfully tried in brilliant frames. All actors also do a great job. Pace is not always the same, sometimes the film is not as entertaining as in other moments, but this is a very nice Brazilian noir thriller anyway. Congratulations for director and writer Guilherme de Almeida Prado. The screenplay is smart and imaginative, and so is the end of the film. In the final credits it is said that this is a B movie, but it's far from reality, as this is an artistically very careful production. Maitê Proença's beauty adds another nice ingredient to the air of mystery. There are some references to Orson Welles's "The Lady from Shanghai", from which it almost borrows the title.
  • Walmor Chagas, Darlene Glória, Eva Wilma, and Otelo Zeloni in São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima (1965)

    21. São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima

    19651h 47m
    8.0 (1.2K)
    A man lives in conflict as he deals with his friends and love interests against the backdrop of São Paulo.
    DirectorLuiz Sérgio PersonStarsAna EsmeraldaEva WilmaOtelo Zeloni
  • Sandra Bréa in Os Imorais (1979)

    22. Os Imorais

    19791h 50m
    6.3 (61)
    Gay hairdresser falls in love with the straight son of one of his customers.
    DirectorGeraldo VietriStarsSandra BréaElizabeth HartmannChico Martins
  • Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

    23. Kiss of the Spider Woman

    19852hR80Metascore
    7.3 (18K)
    A gay man and a political prisoner are together in a prison. The gay man narrates the stories of two fake movies and his own life.
    DirectorHector BabencoStarsWilliam HurtRaul JuliaSonia Braga
  • Sheep's Clothing (2013)

    24. Sheep's Clothing

    20131h 40m
    7.1 (1.1K)
    A group of literature-loving friends bury letters to be opened 10 years later when they will confront the dreams of their youth with what the future has held in store for them.
    DirectorsPaulo MorelliPedro MorelliStarsCaio BlatCarolina DieckmmannMaria Ribeiro
  • Paulo Miklos in The Trespasser (2001)

    25. The Trespasser

    20011h 37m
    7.1 (2K)
    Two businessmen hire a hitman to kill their third partner and are then blackmailed by the hitman as he takes over their company.
    DirectorBeto BrantStarsMarco RiccaAlexandre BorgesPaulo Miklos

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