Marcelia Cartaxo Movies
- 2006
Violence and hatred against women run free in a rural village in Brazil in this intense drama from writer and director Claudio Assis. Auxilidora (Mariah Teixeira) is a teenager who lives with her grandfather Heitor (Fernando Teixeira in a small town dominated by a sugar plantation. Auxilidora is little more than an indentured servant to Heitor, and after working all day in his home he forces her to expose herself to strange men, who have paid for the privilege of watching her as they masturbate. While Auxilidora sees a glimmer of affection and hope in her budding relationship with a friendly ditch-digger, she's also attracted the attention of Everado (Matheus Nachtergaele), a psychotic thug who is seemingly unable to relate to women without the threat of rape or physical assault. Baixio das Bestas (aka Bog of Beasts) won Best Picture honors at the 2006 Brasilia Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Teixeira, Fernando Teixeira, (more)
A woman who has recently returned to her hometown village in remote, northeastern Brazil after two years of living in São Paolo refuses to allow the actions of others to dictate her fate as she keeps her eyes towards new horizons in director Karim Aïnouz's follow-up to his dynamic feature debut Madame Satã. Hermilla (Hermilla Guedes) is a single mother living a marginal existence in modern day São Paolo. Upon returning to the village in which she was raised to await the arrival of her husband, Hermilla longs for the day that her family will become whole. Her hopes gradually fade, however, when it becomes painfully obvious to Hermilla that both she and her newborn son have been abandoned. Secrets are scarce in a village such as Hermilla's, and when word gets out about her dire situation the optimism of the once hopeful mother is quickly corroded by feelings of failure and humiliation. Though she briefly rekindles a relationship with former boyfriend João Miguel (João Miguel), Hermilla's painful realization that there is no returning to the past, coupled with an enlightening conversation with thoughtful prostitute Georgina (Georgina Castro), prods the troubled mother into devising a foolproof plan to finally break free of her troubled past. After adopting the name Suely as a means of both distancing herself from her family and preparing herself for the bold journey that lies ahead, the newly transformed Hermilla determines to raffle off a most unconventional prize to finance her flight into the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hermila Guedes, Maria Menezes, (more)
João Francisco dos Santos was a figure of no small infamy in Brazil during the 1930s -- he was a flamboyantly gay drag performer who was also a notorious criminal, thoroughly unashamed of his sexual orientation and willing to defend himself with deadly force if the situation demanded. Writer and director Karim Ainouz brings dos Santos' story to the screen in this vibrant drama seasoned with music and dance. A tall and physically imposing man, dos Santos (played by Lázaro Ramos) grew up poor on the streets of Brazil; and once he reached adulthood, he shared a home in one of Rio de Janeiro's less picturesque neighborhoods with a handful of friends, including Laurita (Marcelia Cartaxo), a streetwalker; her baby daughter; Taboo (Flavio Bauraqui), a nightclub performer who sometimes turned tricks for extra cash; and Renatinho (Felippe Marques), one of dos Santos' lovers. After landing a job at a nightspot called The Blue Danube, dos Santos grew fascinated with the elaborate costumes and choreography of the stage shows, and became a singer and dancer at the club. However, when the management declined to pay him, dos Santos took matters into his own hands and demanded his salary at knifepoint, leading to the first of many stays behind bars. Upon his release, dos Santos pledged to make his name as a cross-dressing entertainer, though his fiery temper made taking advantage of him a bad idea. Madame Satã was screened as part of the "Un Certain Regard" series at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lazaro Ramos, Marcelia Cartaxo, (more)
- 1995
This highly-stylized Brazilian black comedy takes a sarcastic, thinly disguised, metaphorical look at how avarice and materialism has corrupted Brazil. It also looks at the extreme division between rich and poor and speculates upon what would happen if the roles were suddenly reversed. The story was shot in black and white and utilizes minimalist cardboard sets. It centers upon wealthy Vittorio, a highly successful 44-year-old businessman (the amount of days he has lived comprises the film's title) who runs his company with an iron hand. Unlike his impoverished workers, Vittorio and his wife and son live on an enormous estate in a beautiful mansion. The trouble begins when Jackson attempts to burgle the place and is caught and jailed. The vengeful tycoon hires a killer to eliminate the would-be thief. Unfortunately, the killer gets the wrong man causing Vittorio to feel so guilty that he offers the late fellow's poverty-stricken widow a place in his home. She comes (without knowing that it was he who caused her husband's demise) with her three wild little boys and havoc follows as they nearly destroy the house with their rambunctious ways. Later, she sleeps with Vittorio's son and this causes even more problems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This is a sympathetic, observant drama about the trials and tribulations of Macabea (Marcelia Cartaxo) who has left her home in northeastern Brazil to seek her fortune in Sao Paulo. Macabea misses her friends and family but stays with her dreams for the future -- even in the face of unfair treatment from her fellow office workers, her boyfriend, and her roommates. She has many traits that would resonate in a wide range of viewers, and she easily carries this story based on a novel by Clarice Lispector. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcelia Cartaxo, José Dumont, (more)
