Andrea Barata Ribeiro Movies

A teenage girl steps over the line into adulthood during a summer abroad in this drama from writer and director Heitor Dhalia. Mathias (Vincent Cassel) is a successful French novelist who packs up his family, including wife Clarice (Debora Bloch) and fourteen-year-old daughter Filipa (Laura Neiva), for a few months of vacation at a beachfront house in Brazil. While their surroundings are idyllic, not everyone is happy, and Filipa is aware of the obvious tension between her bickering parents. The contentious relationship between Mathias and Clarice explodes when she learns that he's been unfaithful with the younger and sexier Angela (Camilla Belle). Filipa, who is all too aware of her growing attraction to the opposite sex, is at once disturbed and excited when she spies Mathias and Angela making love, and she decides to act on her desires for a handsome neighbor in his early twenties. A deriva (aka Adrift) was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Uruguayan directors César Chalone and Enrique Fernández co-helm the nutty Spanish-language farce El Baño del Papa (The Pope's Toilet). The film unfolds in 1988, during Pope John Paul II's visit to Uruguay. While dozens of economically struggling locals devise plans to turn a buck from the arrival of the papal father -- such as baking cakes and wrapping chorizo sausages -- only one concocts a scheme to earn a fortune from defecation. Beto, a nickel-and-dime smuggler, reasons that all of those cakes and sausages will be digested rather quickly and that over 50,000 locals will soon be clamoring to use the porcelain bowl. Of course, toilets abound in South America, but Beto sets his public toilet apart by crowning it with an aura of prestige -- his will be the only Pope's Toilet in all of Uruguay, and residents, he is certain, will soon be clamoring to use it. Unfortunately, before he can set his scheme in motion, Beto must first locate the most appropriate toilet and make several risky trips across the Brazilian border and back to that end. Then, just as Beto is within arm's reach of success, someone thoughtlessly steals his beloved bicycle -- further hampering his mission. Regardless of the complications at hand, however, Beto's determination persists. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Two lifelong friends raised amidst the turmoil of Rio de Janeiro's notorious Pool Hall Hill attempt to navigate the treacherous maze of adulthood after celebrating their 18th birthdays and becoming caught up in the city's endless cycle of violence in director Paulo Morelli's companion piece to the Golden Globe-winning drama City of God. Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) and Acerola (Douglas Silva) may not be bound by blood, but these childhood friends are closer to one another than most brothers. While their friendship has gone a long way in helping them both to cope with the strife that surrounds them, the hard truth is that they will both have to fend for themselves now that they've entered into adulthood. For Laranjinha, entering this stage in life means finding his long-lost father; for Acerola it means finally taking responsibility for his growing family. Now, as Laranjinha's cousin, quick-tempered local drug lord Madrugadão (Jonathan Haagensen), finds his power threatened by his former right-hand man Nefasto (Eduardo BR Piranha), it quickly becomes apparent that a formidable war is brewing in the poverty-stricken shantytown. The brother of Laranjinha's girlfriend, Camila (Naima Silva), looks to be a key component in this battle, threatening to draw a neutral man into a deadly confrontation. Meanwhile, Acerola's wife, Cris (Camila Monteiro), is threatening to move to São Paolo so that her family won't be consumed by the violence that has torn apart so many families before. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Tata Amaral offers a poetic look at such difficult issues of violence, racism, and sexism in contemporary Brazil with this vibrant and uplifting tale of fourfemale rappers straining to make a name for themselves while performing on the outskirts of São Paolo. Preta (Negra Li), Mayah (Quelynah), Barbarah (Leilah Moreno) and Lena (Cindy) currently provide back-up vocals for a popular rap act named O Poder, yet despite their success with the group, the talented female singers know well that they have what it takes to strike out on their own. Eventually afforded the opportunity to perform as a group during an O Poder show in Brasilandia, the foursome debut to thrilling success and soon catch the attention of promoter Marcelo Diamante (Thaíde) - who casually offers to shepherd the girls' emerging career. Things soon get complicated, however, when jealousy prompts Preta to convince Barbarah and Lena to oust Maya from the band, and after Barbara is subsequently imprisoned for the accidental murder of a young boy who roughed up her brother, the once-promising foursome suddenly becomes a duo. But fate isn't finished with the ladies yet, because as the wave of their success begins to crest, Preta is soon forced to take the stage as a solo artist when Lena becomes pregnant and is forced by her demanding husband to choose between her family and her career. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi