Daniela Thomas Movies
- 2009
The pain and frustration of unrequited love haunts a handful of characters in this drama, a collaboration between respected theater director Felipe Hirsch and veteran writer and director Daniela Thomas. Set against carefully composed backdrops of some of Brazil's most scenic architecture, Insolacao (aka Sunstroke) follows a number of people who have lost their hearts to others who can't share their feelings, including a boy (Antonio Medeiros) whose first experience of love is proving to be deeply hurtful, and a woman (Maria Luisa Mendonsa) infatuated with a man (Leonardo Medeiros) who is already spoken for, making her curiously envious of the child he dotes upon. Andrei (Paulo Jose) is an elderly man who serves as the narrator while observing these bittersweet sketches of doomed romances as he wanders the streets of the great city. Inspired by several tales from 19th Century Russian literature, Sunstroke was an official selection at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2008
Motorcycle Diaries director Walter Salles Jr. helms this story of a band of brothers intent on getting out of the Brazilian ghetto in a Media Rights Capital production. Co-directing is Daniela Thomas, from a script she wrote with George Moura (Moro No Brasil) and Salles. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- João Baldasserini, Kaique de Jesus Santos, (more)
- 2006
Part of the anthology Paris, Je T'Aime, this short comes from directors Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas. Starring Catalina Sandino Moreno, Loin du 16ème concerns a South American immigrant nanny who, on a daily basis, must leave her infant in day care, trek off to a neighborhood far away, and care for her employer's baby. Alexander Payne and Tom Tykwer are among the other directors who contributed films to Paris, Je T'Aime. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catalina Sandino Moreno
Twenty acclaimed filmmakers from around the world look at love in the City of Lights in this omnibus feature. Paris, Je T'Aime features 18 short stories, each set in a different part of Paris and each featuring a different cast and director (two segments were produced by two filmmakers in collaboration). In "Faubourg Saint-Denis," Tom Tykwer directs Natalie Portman as an American actress who is the object of affection for a blind student (Melchior Belson). Christopher Doyle's "Porte de Choisy" follows a salesman (Barbet Schroeder) as he tries to pitch beauty aids in Chinatown. Nick Nolte and Ludivine Sagnier are father and daughter in "Parc Monceau" from Alfonso Cuarón. Animator Sylvain Chomet turns his eye to a pair of living, breathing mimes in "Tour Eiffel." An interracial romance in France is offered by Gurinder Chadha in "Quais de Seine." In "Le Marais" from Gus Van Sant, a man (Gaspard Ulliel) finds himself falling for a handsome gent (Elias McConnell) who works in a print shop. Isabel Coixet tells the tale of a man (Sergio Castellitto) who is making his final choice between his wife (Miranda Richardson) and his lover (Leonor Watling) in "Bastille." Juliette Binoche plays a grieving mother in Nobuhiro Suwa's "Place des Victoires," in which she's greeted by a spectral cowboy (Willem Dafoe). Richard LaGravanese's "Pigalle" finds a long-married man (Bob Hoskins) turning to a prostitute for advice on pleasing his wife (Fanny Ardant). Gérard Depardieu and Frédéric Auburtin direct Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara as longtime marrieds meeting for one final pre-divorce encounter in "Quartier Latin." Steve Buscemi learns a lesson about local etiquette in the Paris Metro in "Tuileries" from Joel and Ethan Coen. In "Loin du 16ème" by Walter Salles, a housekeeper (Catalina Sandino Moreno) longs for her own child as she tends to the infant of her wealthy employer. Elijah Wood stars in "Quartier de la Madeleine," a vampire tale from Vincenzo Natali. Wes Craven presents another fantasy in "Père-Lachaise," in which an engaged young man (Rufus Sewell) receives romantic advice from the spirit of Oscar Wilde (Alex Payne). A postal worker from Colorado (Margo Martindale) shares her thoughts on her visit to Paris in mangled French in Alexander Payne's witty "14th Arrondissement." Other segments include "Place des Fêtes" from Oliver Schmitz, Bruno Podalydès' "Montmartre," and "Quartier des Enfants Rouges" by Olivier Assayas, which stars Maggie Gyllenhaal. Paris, Je T'Aime received its world premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
A young man is forced to choose between family tradition and his own dreams and desires in this drama from Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles. In 1910 in a remote farming community, two families, the Breveses and the Ferreiras, both of whom earn their living growing sugar cane, have been squabbling over the ownership of a piece of land for years. The disagreement turned violent some time back, and after the first shot was fired and blood was spilled, the other family insisted upon killing the gunman as a matter of honor. The second shooter was then killed for the same reason, and ever since the two clans have been trading off murders in the name of familial honor and justice. The Breveses, who are a much smaller family, have been suffering a great deal more than their rivals thanks to this feud; a steady drop in sugar prices has also left the family with little but their pride. When Inácio, the first-born son of the Breves family, is shot down, his father (José Dumont) orders his next-oldest son, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), to kill one of the Ferreira boys after the traditional month-long waiting period. Tonho finds himself questioning the wisdom of this bloody rivalry, and he ponders his fate while spending time with his younger brother (Ravi Ramos Lacerda), whom his parents never bothered to name. As Tonho ponders his fate, a small traveling circus comes to town; Tonho and his brother are soon caught in the spell of Clara (Flavia Marco Antonio), a beautiful circus performer who befriends the young boy and nicknames him Pacu, while Tonho finds himself falling in love with her, and longing to travel the country at her side. Abril Despedacado won the Little Golden Lion award at the 2001 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- José Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, (more)
This $1 million Brazilian feature, co-directed by Walter Salles (handling the camera) and Daniela Thomas (handling the actors), is another in the "2000 Seen By..." series of Millennium-themed films co-produced by France's Haut & Court. As Millennium parties get underway in Rio, Joao (Luis Carlos Vasconcellos) escapes from jail by murdering his cellmate Pedro and slipping away during the confusion. Meanwhile, speech therapist Maria (Fernanda Torres) finds a note indicating that her lover Pedro (Carlos Vereza) has moved out. With her telephone broken, she begins wandering the confetti-filled streets in search of a working phone. Joao heads into the hills to get revenge on his betrayer, but eventually Joao and Maria intersect. Shot in one week, this film was shown at 1998 film festivals (Locarno, Toronto). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fernanda Torres, Luis Carlos Vasconcelos, (more)
This beautifully photographed black and white Brazilian mystery chronicles the union between Paco, an aspiring actor living in Sao Paulo, and Brazil-born Alex, who works as a waitress in Lisbon, Portugal. Much of the tale is set in 1990 when Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello threw his country into an economic tailspin by suddenly confiscating the savings accounts of the entire population. At this time, Paco is living with his elderly mother in a poor Sao Paulo neighborhood. Tired of living in squalor, the mother dreams of returning to her native Spain. When she learns that her savings have been seized, the shocked old woman drops dead. Now without his mother, Paco feels little desire to stay in Brazil and so meets with the sleazy Igor, an antique dealer, and agrees to smuggle a violin stuffed with raw diamonds to Lisbon. Paco is to take the fiddle to a certain hotel where he will be paid by the contact. Unfortunately, he arrives, but the contact doesn't. This incident leads him down a twisted road filled with murder, danger and intrigue that eventually ends in the arms of Alex. In many films, this would be the end of the story, but not for Alex and Paco, for they cannot relax and enjoy their relationship unless they can somehow escape the murderous thugs Igor sent to kill them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fernanda Torres, Fernando Alves Pinto, (more)
- 1985
Christmas is coming and the Joes take upon themselves to distribute used toys to needy children. Unfortunately, the toy supply is infiltrated by Cobra's troops, who have been shrunken to action-figure size. In this reduced state, the villains contrive to sway public sentiment against the good-guy Joes. When all is said and done, however, this episode exists primarily to introduce Hasbro's latest line of G.I. Joe toy products. Scripted by Carla and Gerry Conway from a story by Roy and Dan Thomas, "Cobra CLAWs are Coming to Town" originally aired in America on November 7, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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