The Middle of the World

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The Middle of the World

2003

1h 25m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

58%

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12 Reviews

56%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

An unemployed truck driver (Wagner Moura) and his family bicycle nearly 2,000 miles across Brazil to find a job that pays a decent salary.

Michael Atkinson

Village Voice

A true Brazilian story of vague human-interest value ... gets a heavy-handed treatment.

Mar 30, 2004

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Stephen Holden

New York Times

Wants to be both a realistic family drama and a mythical odyssey but lacks the substance to be much more than a vignette.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 25, 2004

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Marta Barber

Miami Herald

Where Middle of the World becomes more appealing is in showing life along the less-traveled roads of Brazil, a landscape of beauty and poverty, nomad lives and basic instincts in a determination to make the best of a lurid existence.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 17, 2005

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...the problem is, it's not terribly interesting.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 30, 2004

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Gabe Leibowitz

Film and Felt

A moving coming-of-age story that invokes memories of films such as Pixote (with significantly less violence) and The Bicycle Thief.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 13, 2004

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Ethan Alter

TV Guide

Although the territory it covers is familiar, this Brazilian import, based on a true story, has its heart in the right place.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 9, 2004

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Audience Member

A good Brazilian movie that never got a good distribution deal. It looks like it was well hated by critics and users alike. I am a fan. It is an interesting slice of Brazil outside of the bit cities and a hugely rewarding experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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raphael g

It's nice. Not like Central do Brasil or the best Brazilian movies out there, but still a worthy effort.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Could be I was in one of those philosophical, self-reflecting moods when watching this, but O Caminho das Nuvens, is probably one of the most moving movies I've seen to date! The Middle of the World is a very unusual road trip movie invoking questions and emotions of family dynamics, gender roles, the expectations of manhood and an almost Epicureanism on what happiness truly is as well as the at times unspoken conflict many Christians have in their faith and the pressures of daily life. There were times in the movie I wanted to dismiss the story and the characters, purely out of too strong a sense of connection, but the words "based on a true story" in the opening credits made it extremely difficult. You're left wanting to leave the story but wanting to see the story through to its very end hoping, no, praying that the family survive the hardship and make it to the promise land!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

it was very interesting, but don't remember the details..

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Audience Member

An excellent film, based on a true story. Shot mainly in the arid northeast of Brazil, it hows how a poor family toughs it out not so much against the elements, but life in general. A poignant Brazilian interpretation of what it means to be a breadwinner, a good wife, a loyal son. If you liked Walter Salles' "Central Station Brazil" or Dev Benegal's "Road, Movie" then you will also like this one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

3 star because of Wagner Moura.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Vicente Amorim

Director

Cláudia Abreu

Rose

Wagner Moura

Romão

Ravi Ramos Lacerda

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Synopsis

An unemployed truck driver (Wagner Moura) and his family bicycle nearly 2,000 miles across Brazil to find a job that pays a decent salary.

Director: Vicente Amorim
Producer: Lucy Barreto, Luiz Carlos Barreto
Screenwriter: David França Mendes
Production Co: Globo Filmes
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (DVD): Mar 21, 2006
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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