Tania Boscoli Movies

Ben Kingsley headlines this thoughtful adventure that was filmed on location in Brazil. The story centers on Cunda, a poor hunter who makes his meager living killing snakes. One day, he runs across four chimpanzees. The hunter is elated, for he hopes that selling them in the Big City will net him enough money to pay the dowry of his beloved Maria, a widow who lives in his village. His journey is long and arduous. At one point he ends up forced to work in a remote mining camp; at another he gets captured by military slavers. He and a beautiful Indian girl manage to escape from the latter and with the chimps make it to the city. But things don't go well there. More adventures ensue, and with each one, Cunda ponders humankind's true place in the natural world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An intense, well-scripted drama, this story of a young teen's psychological and emotional abuse at the hands of her immediate family was the first feature-length film for director and screenwriter Lui Farias, son of director Roberto Farias. Adapted from a semi-autobiographical novel by Eliane Maciel, Farias slowly builds a sense of oppression as Eliane (Fernanda Torres) finds her parents, aunt, grandmother, and even her boyfriend Otavio (Carlos Augusto Strazzer) have become increasingly overbearing and abusive toward her. For Eliane, there seems to be no way out. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Gabriela was based on Jorge Armado's novel Gabriela, Clove and Cinammon, which also served as the source of a typically steamy Brazilian TV soap opera. Set in 1925 (when the novel was first published), the film stars Marcello Mastrioanni as Nacib, a bartender in the Bahian village of Parati. When a drought descends upon the surrounding countryside, slovenly-but-sexy Gabriela (Sonja Braga) wanders into Parati with some friends and relatives. Immediately entranced by Gabriela's earthy sensuality, Nacib hires her as a cook and potential lover. Jealous of the attentions paid to Gabriela by the local menfolk, Nacib decides to marry her, then orders her to dress and behave in a more prudish fashion. But Gabriela can't help straying sexually, and as consequence it is Nacib who is forced to undergo the film's major character transformation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Brazilian version of sun, surfing, sex, drugs, love, and comedy -- a cousin of California-based beach films -- involves the usual teenagers, their dilemmas, and distant views of Rio from various shorelines. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide