Hermila Guedes Movies
Actress Hermila Guedes first caught the attention of moviegoers when cast as the desperate Brazilian mother who is forced to raffle off her body when abandoned by her uncaring husband in director Karim Aïnouz's 2006 festival favorite Suely in the Sky. Honored with a Best Actress award at the 28th New Latin American Cinema Festival in Havana for her role in the film, Guedes could next be seen in director Paulo Caldas' Portuguese-language drama Happy Desert -- which told the grim tale of a young Brazilian girl who slides into a harrowing life of prostitution. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide- 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)
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)
