Rui Polanah Movies

A young girl finds excitement and adventure in the jungles of Brazil in this family-oriented drama. Taina (Eunice Baia) is a young girl who, after the death of her mother and father, is living with her grandfather in a jungle near the Amazon River. When her grandfather unexpectedly passes on, Taina isn't sure where to turn, and wanders into the forest, where she's taken in by Isabel (Branca Camargo), a scientist who is doing research on drugs that could cure jungle fever. Taina and Isabel soon bond with one another, but Isabel's self-centered son, Joninho (Caio Romei), doesn't care for the new addition to the family. Taina's pet monkey, Catu, quickly attracts the attention of an animal poacher, while Meg (Betty Erthal), another scientist doing research in the jungle, will do anything to prevent Isabel from discovering the jungle fever vaccine first. Taina and Catu are lured deep into the forest by mean-spirited Joninho, but his prank soon backfires when he finds himself lost in the wilds with Taina. As Isabel and her pilot friend, Rudy (Jairo Mattos), search for the missing children, the poachers hope to find them first in order to get their hands on Catu, while Meg wants the kids as ransom bait in order to get her hands on Isabel's research findings. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki (who also co-wrote the screenplay) made his English-language feature debut with this tale of foreigners adrift in the treacherous labyrinth of the Brazilian jungle. Kari (Kari Vaananen) is driving down the Trans-Amazonica Highway -- actually a two-lane dirt road that leads out of Rio -- with his two small daughters, Nina (Minna Sovio) and Lea (Ailo Sovio). He is fleeing the Brazilian authorities and is already on the lam from his homeland for taking his wife off life support after a car accident left her in a coma. His car eventually runs out of gas, and the family is rescued by Dan (Robert Davi), a bitter American expatriate and bush pilot who involves Kari in a scheme to use an old bulldozer he has discovered for mining purposes. Dan's plan will wreak havoc with the already devastated rainforest, however, and Kari, under the influence of a native woman (Rae Dawn Chong), starts to doubt his involvement in the project. Good performances, an important message, and excellent photography are all wasted on a story that starts out well but becomes unbalanced when one of the main characters suddenly dies, practically eliminating any conflict or confrontation toward which the plot may have been building. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

A Brazilian police official has been sent to a remote area of the country (in the state of Goias) on some undercover mission, and along the way a beautiful female member of one of Brazil's native tribes befriends him, and at one point, saves his life. They become very close -- until they reach the policeman's destination, a diamond-mining camp, where the miners' prejudice forces the native woman into a marginal, inferior status. Once the policeman has taken care of the corrupt mining boss in a manner beyond the laws of the country, he leaves, and the woman follows him along his way out again. He knows he cannot take her back to the city with him, and not having any real respect for the native Brazilians himself, his solution to handling the problem of an unwanted female companion is not any different than his solution to handling an unwanted, corrupt mining boss. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide