João Miguel Movies
- 2007
A ten year-old boy living in a remote region of the Brazilian mountains enlists the aid of his brother and best friend in order to confront a world defined by silence, betrayal, and violence. Thiago is a child whose unusual insight into the adult world has left him with little hope for the future. In Thiago's eyes, the grown-ups around him seem to sleepwalk through a life defined by pettiness and greed. Perhaps with a little help from his understanding sibling Felipe this gifted young child will learn to create a whole new world. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thiago da Silva Mariz, Wallison Felipe Leal Barroso, (more)
- 2007
A cunning man discovers they way to the world's good graces is through people's stomachs in this witty drama from filmmaker Marcos Jorge. Raimundo Nonato (Joao Miguel) is a shabby drifter who wanders into town in need of money and a place to stay. Nonato happens upon a cheap diner that's looking for a cook, and he persuades Zulmiro (Zeca Cenovicz), the owner, to give him the job. Zulmiro isn't willing to give Nonato much more than room and board at first, but the diner's customers soon discover that the former hobo has genuine talent in the kitchen, and his tasty specialties bring a whole new clientele to the place. One of the diner's new regulars is Giovanni (Carlo Briani), the owner of an upscale Italian restaurant, and he lures Nonato away by promising a high salary to become his new executive chef. For a while Nonato is living the high life until his luck turns sour and he winds up in prison. Nonato has a hard time of it behind bars until he starts putting is culinary talents to work, preparing tasty meals for his violent cellmates and using his cooking to win the friendship of feared enforcer Bujiu (Babu Santana). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- João Miguel, Fabiula Nascimento, (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)
Two outcasts wander the back roads of Brazil looking for different kinds of escape in this drama. Johann (Peter Ketnath) fled Germany to avoid being drafted during World War II, and has ended up in Brazil, where he makes his living as a traveling showman and salesman. Johann spends his days driving his truck through the Brazilian outback, and when he discovers a suitably populated village, he sets up his portable projection system and shows advertising films promoting the latest wonder drug -- aspirin. Johann does good business at his stops, but spending most of his time behind the wheel gets tiresome, and he often picks up hitchhikers to break up the monotony. One day, Johann picks up Ranulpho (João Miguel), a native who strikes up a friendship with the expatriate German and offers to join him as a projectionist and assistant. While Johann welcomes both the help and the company, the two soon become aware of their different temperaments -- Johann has grown to love Brazil, while Ranulpho longs to get away -- and Johann finds he can no longer escape the war in the wilds of Brazil, as the nation has an economic alliance with the Allied forces and immigration authorities insist he either return to Germany or give himself up to military police in São Paulo. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (aka Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus) was the first feature film from writer and director Marcelo Gomes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ketnath, João Miguel, (more)
