Barren Lives

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William L Vidas Secas isn't the rich man's interpretation of poverty, there's none of that Thoreau-ish nobility in the simplicity of peasant life. Instead, dos Santos calls a spade a spade. His characters are suffering, trapped in an environment that is designed at multiple levels to prevent them from achieving their ambitions, however miniscule (the bed that seems like an exorbitant luxury, for instance). Their social condition is mirrored in the environment, a near-inescapable hell in which the heat constantly surrounds them, unrelenting, and the horizon stretches out in all directions with no change in sight. A tough drama on poverty that does away with excess romanticism and is mindful of its production value, such as the continued depiction of bright, seering light in scenes with seemingly different characters to demonstrate their shared plight; particularly unusual editing and transitions. Really like some of the creative cinematography as well; in some shots, dos Santos forces the camera's motion to follow the swaying of characters as they walk rather than keeping the background static, creating this sensation of unease and motion. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/18/21 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. A dismal neorealist look at a famous Brazilian novel about a tragic migrant worker family and a pitiful dog. It has unique camera work, but it's not one I want to see again. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This bit of black and white misery is relatable to any version of the working man. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member A masterpiece!! You can see how italian neorealism effects brazlian movie... Location shoot, handheld camera and humanism... Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Evocando o texto original do renomado escritor brasileiro, o filme nos apresenta a uma série de belas, sutis e dramáticas composições imagéticas, as quais, além do sintetismo estético, culminam num forte retrato da condição miserável dos sertanejos nordestinos em meio à opressão da seca e à violência de uma sociedade que os explora e os marginaliza. Leia mais: http://cinema-mon-amour31.webnode.com/news/vidas-secas-de-nelson-pereira-dos-santos-brasil-1963-/ Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Decidedly slow and filled with languid shots. Vidas Secas is the major reference of Cinema Novo, and i'm very dissapointed with it. The narrative is boring, there is no inside into characters, the cinematography is the worst i have ever seen, and the sound (well, the dubbing) is often offensive, also the most shocking thing was the unnecessary animal abuse. Even with short budget there is no excuse to this technically awful film, and Nelson Pereira Dos Santos's style is definitely not the mine. If he wanted to present the hell in earth, i felt in hell watching this film. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Barren Lives

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