Giulia Gam Movies

A son leans more than expected about his father in the wake of his violent death in this drama from Brazil. Antonio (Bernardo Marinho) is the son of a wealthy banker, Mauro (Antonio Calloni), but has little interest in following in his dad's footsteps. Antonio is a college man studying filmmaking, and doesn't have much interest in Mauro's staid life in finance, while Mauro is wary of his son's seeming lack of interest in women, though he's mistaken Antonio's shyness for apathy. Antonio discovers some paperwork which suggests his father may be guilty of legal improprieties relating to his business, but before he can confront Mauro, the banker is found dead along a busy highway, and the police suspect foul play. Antonio's mother Angela (Giulia Gam) is distraught at the news, and as he tries to comfort her, Antonio is forced to take over the family's affairs. As Antonio goes through their accounts, he suspects his father's business misdeeds may be connected to his death. While Antonio struggles to determine the truth behind his father's death, he encounters Carmen (Carolina Ferraz), a beautiful woman who knew Mauro and may have shared a ride with him on his fateful night. Through Carmen, Antonio learns about his father's reckless early life and his way with the ladies, which inspires Antonio to gather his courage and try to make time with two of his more attractive classmates, Cristina (Luiza Mariani) and Adriana (Luana Carvalho). O Passageiro: Segredos de Adulto (aka The Passenger: Adult Secrets) received its North American premiere at the 2007 Palm Springs International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Four short stories by the noted Brazilian author Joao Guimaraes Rosa are adapted for the screen in this anthology feature. In the first segment, an outlaw (Caca Carvalho) terrorizing a small town is killed by a mild-mannered fellow. Next, a landowner who has lost his loved ones decides to give his land to the local peasants. In the third story, a farmer develops a sincere but unusual attraction to a servant girl (Giulia Gam) in his employ. And finally, the spirits of the dead mingle with the living as the town comes out to watch a man send his mother and daughter to a mental institution. While Outras Estorias was directed by Pedro Bial, Bial credited Caca Carvalho and Giulia Gam with directing his actors. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This experimental Brazilian film offers a tuneful, decidedly unique look at the life of Brazil's first recording artist Mario Reis, who was well loved for making his music accessible to audiences from every social stratum. Reis also discovered some of his country's most popular singers including Noel Rosa Ismael Silva and composers such as Tom Jobim and Hector Villa-Lobos. The film playfully unfolds like a fractured music video feature many kitschy images interspersed with actual performances. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The story in this inventive and critically well-regarded film is told backwards, beginning in the 1980s and detailing the lives of two couples who were deeply affected by the popular song of the 1960s "Besame Mucho". From then until the 1980s, pop music defines the key moments in their lives. The effects of each situation are shown first, and then the causes are gradually revealed, culminating with the characters' college years. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi