Synopsis:
Natal, in his early fifties belongs to a generation that broke social barriers, worshiped cerebral movies, drugs and rock’n roll. However, he does not accept it well when Milene, his only daughter, takes her boyfriend to sleep at home with her. In the middle of the night, unable to put a stop to the sex in the next-door bedroom, he locks himself in his car parked in his building garage. That’s when Silvana, his wife, comes after him. In the quietness of the late night, only witnessed by the parked cars and the garage surveillance cams, Natal tries to unburden his difficulty to accept costumes for which he fought so much. He ends up telling his wife secrets about his past, he has an epiphany: he was never young. Now, being in his early fifties, he doesn’t need to like what everyone else liked, do what everyone else did, be as everyone else was. He is old, he has always been. However, Silvana’s memory says the opposite and he sees himself back to his past and younger than ever.
Review by Andie Karvelis:
One of the most dreaded moments for a father in parenthood, when you realize your daughter is having sex. The film is centered around the father in crisis, Natal, as he copes with this knowledge and commiserates with his wife, Silvana.
Director, Isabella Secchin, really understands how to tell a story and get great performances from her actors. The voice talents of Joao Brandao act as our guide and narrator. His inflection and emotion was perfect and added a sense of comedy. There is also this beautiful bond between the actors portraying Natal and Silvana. You truly believe they are a married couple who’s been through everything together. They have some wonderfully tender moments and some that are very humorous. You think you know where the story is going and it takes you in a wonderfully unexpected direction.
The cinematography is absolutely stunning, with very clever and creative camera angles so the car scenes never become stagnant. Every flashback sequence is lit a little differently, so there is no doubt you are either seeing a memory or something from Natal’s imagination. The music the filmmakers chose for this was sheer genius. It’s playful but has a sense of urgency to it that matches our protagonist’s struggle.
Growing up is hard. Sometimes it’s even harder for our parents
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