Reviewed by Rebecca Gordon
Stars Sandra Corveloni, João Baldasserini, Vinícius de Oliveira, José Geraldo Rodrigues,
Kaique Jesus Santos, Roberto Audi, Denise Weinberg | Written by George Moura & Daniela Thomas
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £19.99 | Runtime 109 minutes | Directed by Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas
Linda de Passe reunites Salles (Motorcycle Diaries) with Foreign Land co-director Thomas to provide a veritable education on the sprawling populace of Sao Paolo, set against the grubby but ever-stirring backdrop of the Brazilian favela. Readdressing the “chronic absence of the father in our society”, Salles and Thomas allow a non-judgemental peek into the everyday struggles of those intent on surpassing their grim destiny, based on true stories collected from the city.
Taking literally the theme of paternal absenteeism, Linha de Passe offers a slice of Sao Paolo realism in the form of four months in the lives of heavily pregnant Clueza (Corveloni) and her fatherless sons. Working a fine balance between the mundane and the sensational brutality typical of favela-dramas, the film closely follows each of the four brother’s attempt to escape their impoverished circumstances. Dênis (Baldasserini), desperate to supplement his meager wage as a courier, teeters on the edge of a life of petty crime, while in sharp contrast devout Christian Dinho (José Geraldo Rodrigues) sees religion as a means of salvation. Talented footballer Dario’s (de Oliveira) fanciful dreams of stardom are dashed by the reality that he’s ‘passed it’ at 18 and youngest sibling Reginald, (Kaique Jesus Santos) troubled by his black skin, spends his days roaming the city in search of the bus driver father he longs for.
Converging only occasionally in their cramped apartment, the characters’ diverse narrative threads are pulled together using various symbolic parallels, from the juxtaposition of Clueza, surrounded by fervent football fans, and Dinho, engaged in intense religious praise amongst fellow worshippers, both groups gripped by emotion, arms raised to the heavens, to the final epiphanic moment in which each son experiences true release, whether it be through rebellion, realisation or success. Dynamic intersections, immersed in Mauro Pinheiro Jr.'s cinematographically invoked melancholy gloom, create an intimate portrait of both the peaks and troughs of cash-strapped existence.
Inspiring performances from the relatively unknown cast, including Cannes Best Actress-winner Sandra Corveloni as put-upon mother Clueza, enrich the poignant message set out by the criss-crossing narratives, as we are thrust headlong into the context of Brazil’s slum-dwellers. If a little schematic in its methodical layout of stock-types and situations, clearly influenced by its melodramatic predecessors, Linha de Passe strips the sentimentalism and clichéd hopelessness characterising the genre to depict a moving tale of true-to-life desperation, engrossing as it is enlightening.
EXTRAS Just the trailer.