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Heleno

Play trailer Poster for Heleno R Released Dec 7, 2012 1h 57m Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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46% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Brazilian soccer great Heleno de Freitas (Rodrigo Santoro) becomes the idol of many, but his personal demons and tumultuous life threaten to destroy him.

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Heleno

Critics Reviews

View All (13) Critics Reviews
Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times There's just so much one can care about this star athlete and his self-destructive journey. Rated: 3/5 Dec 7, 2012 Full Review Farran Smith Nehme New York Post What you get instead of soccer is almost two hours of late-stage syphilis. Rated: 1.5/4 Dec 7, 2012 Full Review Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times Equal parts temper and tenderness, lust and incaution, "Heleno" is short on specifics but long on impression. Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 6, 2012 Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Heleno -- an richly intimate portrait of the man, the myth and the madness of both. Nov 27, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: C Feb 28, 2013 Full Review Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue The script rarely digs beneath the surface of its intriguing subject. Dec 14, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (8) audience reviews
Audience Member Rodrigo Santoro gives an explosively good performance as Heleno. I don't know why but it is always interesting to observe a character with a bad temper. The movie was most interesting when Heleno was on or at least relatively *near* the soccer field. There are actually very few soccer scenes in this movie... about a soccer player. We're treated to his behind-the-scenes life of random sex with women, STDs, and huffing some substance on a towel (what was that anyway?). I mean, yeah, it's good initially to see all this as an introduction to who he is and what he's doing but this IS about a soccer player and I was mostly disappointed with the lack of time spent on the pitch in this film. That aside, the choice to film this all in black and white was good artistic decision. You felt more like you were transported back to the '40s that way. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member One more proof that brazilian directors are far more worried about creating beauty than telling a story that really captures you and keeps you following every step of it. I was expecting more. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member HELENO Biographical productions, not always result in exceptional films, in most cases the focus totally dedicated to one character makes it difficult to work creatively important aspects such as direction and screenplay. Often follows a simplistic scheme where everyone who gets the spotlight is the protagonist, and thus, all other features are now in the background. At this point the biopic soccer player Heleno de Freitas is no exception to the rule. Rodrigo Santoro owns the film, and thus, "Heleno" is nonetheless a cinematic experience incomplete. That said, we have here one of the best performances of recent years in film from Brazil. The Heleno's Santoro is multifaceted as real human beings, capable of provoking sympathy and contempt almost simultaneously. The content quite heavy and often tragic - because we have here the classic trajectory of rise and fall of a phenomenon leaks - does not prevent Santoro to shine in every scene, whether in moments of euphoric jingoism of fame, or the deepest depression brought the disease. It remains to warn that this is not a production for those who are looking of what is fun and exciting in the world of football, but in some reflection on arrogance towards life, as most of the films that revive superstars. 8.0/10.0 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Not really fond of biopic, especially for the one who was so distant from me. Quite a formulaic narrative for a biopic. But good to see more about Rodrigo Santoro, apart from his pretty face. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Heleno's story is so pathetic that however well the film was directed, you can't help but abhor the enormous waste of talent and utter stupidity of his life. And you ask yourself, does this guy deserve a movie made for him? Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Filme bacana sobre a história de um grande jogador de futebol da história brasileira. Uma pena o filme somente focar em um período da história dele enquanto jogador, poderia compreender um período mais longo, mostrando mais da sua família e sua origem. O filme em si é muito bem feito, com boa fotografia, todo em preto-e-branco, retrata a época e a vida boêmia da cidade, já que Heleno era um frequentador das casas noturnas. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Heleno

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Movie Info

Synopsis Brazilian soccer great Heleno de Freitas (Rodrigo Santoro) becomes the idol of many, but his personal demons and tumultuous life threaten to destroy him.
Director
José Henrique Fonseca
Screenwriter
José Henrique Fonseca, Felipe Bragança, Fernando Castets
Distributor
Screen Media Ventures
Production Co
Br Petrobas
Rating
R (Drug Content|Some Language|Sexuality)
Genre
Biography
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 7, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 7, 2014
Runtime
1h 57m
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