DMovies - Your platform for thought-provoking cinema

Muito Romântico

Brazilian couple draws inspiration from German literature, Brazilian music and their very own experience as immigrants in order to create their first feature film, a very personal and multilayered concoction

Take an emotional trip from Brazil to Berlin with two young Brazilian filmmakers Gustavo Jahn and Melissa Dullius. Muito Romântico is a multi-stop journey into the heart of Europe, and a very imaginative piece of experimental cinema, with elements of video art. It feels almost like a film from German filmmaker Alexander Kluge in its deeply fragmented montage approach, but instead from a transatlantic perspective. The movie is a collage of moving images, stills, shreds of imagination and slivers of allegory. The narrative is fluid and organic: many viewers will rearrange the story and make sense of it according to their own experience.

The film sets off the two partners cross the Atlantic on a red cargo ship. The Ocean is a watershed, as the immigrants embrace a new life in the old continent. The story is then inundated with literature from Goethe, Alfred Doeblin, DH Lawrence, as well as music of all sorts (the title of the film was taken from the eponymous song by the legendary Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso). The couple also venture into the music territory, and the movie wraps up with a melancholic bedroom performance. The most intimate living space is often where creativity flourishes.

But the waters of the Atlantic are not the only symbol of change. There are also plenty of construction sites in Berlin, and – despite their apparent inaction and stillness – they are a fitting metaphor for transition. The German capital is a city in perpetual movement, and the two directors examine such phenomenon by observing the urban architecture. There are plenty of contrasts, with the old being destroyed in order to make room for the new. Yet the “new” is often barren and soulless, while the “old” is teeming with nostalgia. Which raises the question: why do we constantly need to embrace change?

Spoken in various languages, Muito Romântico will explores a plethora of themes, always from a very idiosyncratic perspective. The movie delves with the identity of Brazilians in Europe, the longing for home (both as in your residence and as in your homeland), the fear of disease, the relation between time and space, and much more. The film is dotted with a wealth of both intelligeable and non-intelligeable, visual and sensorial anecdotes. Muito Romântico is a plesant and soothing experience, if reserved to those more used to alternative cinema practices.

Muito Romântico is currently showing in festivals around Europe and the world. Click here for more information about film distribution and exhibition.

The film trailer can be viewed here:


By Victor Fraga - 23-02-2017

Victor Fraga is a Brazilian born and London-based journalist and filmmaker with more than 20 years of involvement in the cinema industry and beyond. He is an LGBT writer, and describes himself as a di...

DMovies Poll

Are the Oscars dirty enough for DMovies?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Most Read

Forget Friday the 13th, Paranormal Activity and the [Read More...]
Just a few years back, finding a film [Read More...]
A lot of British people would rather forget [Read More...]
Pigs might fly. And so Brexit might happen. [Read More...]
Sexual diversity is at the very heart of [Read More...]
Films quotes are very powerful not just because [Read More...]

Read More

How to write a dirty movie summary essay: comprehensive tips and techniques

 

Marina Hillquist - 16-09-2023

Master the art of writing a compelling movie summary essay with our detailed guide. Learn how to structure, analyse, and present your observations effectively for any film.  [Read More...]

A Day and a Half (En Dag och en Halv)

Fares Fares
2023

Dimitris Passas - 14-09-2023

Swedish hostage drama morphs into confessional car journey, but this potentially gripping story is crippled by a poor script - out now on Netflix [Read More...]

Raindance: “younger” and more audacious than ever?

 

DMovies' team - 13-09-2023

As the UK's favourite indie festival announces its programme, with a strong focus on young and nascent filmmaking talent, we take a look at their selection, and ask the two artistic directors what is it that makes these directors special [Read More...]

Facebook Comment

Website Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *