GUARUJA: A WONDERFUL MOVIE OCT 2005

From the first scene of a woman taking a shower, I had an inclination that this film would be graphic and strong. Intense and deliberated close-
ups of her naked body instinctively make me feel uneasy and guilty for looking. The scene is interjected with short shots of a young man trying on
women’s clothes in front of a mirror; quickly trying on a dress then frantically throwing it off and reaching for a blouse. The woman in the shower,
Angela, reappears draped in a towel and with in an innate look of seduction. “Do you want to play?” the young man, Paulo asks. “Yes,” she replies
with a wicked smile. “Cowboys and Indians!” This scene sets off the underlying theme for the rest of the film. Games, fun and frolics are at the
forefront and it is down to you, the viewer, to try and differentiate between games and reality. Often things are not quite as happy and carefree as
they seem (Cowboys and Indians ends in Paulo capturing Angela which ensues in a violent struggle). The other main characters are an older
man and woman who are also named Paulo and Angela. This foursome of actors make love, talk about art in Berlin and France, world politics
and which celebrities they want to shag.

This film is classic art-house in the sense that it fails to abide by any commercial rules and sets down some rather breathtaking and memorable
moments. Marcelo’s unique artistic talent is present throughout the entire film (the first time we see Paulo and Paulo together, they share a
conversation through a glass door and mimic each others movements whilst the Brazilian coastline reflects behind them) and along with a
fabulous soundtrack (including Bowie and Stina Nordenstam), we are blessed with experiencing some truly poignant and beautiful moments. I,
like the average film-goer, have seen quite a few movies in my lifetime, but there are some collages of pure visual beauty and poetic dialogue that
are intensely tender to watch in Guaruja. We see Angela and Angela dressed in beautiful cocktail dresses sharing an intimate graceful dance;
lights stream between them and their fluid movements whilst Nordenstam’s emotional and stripped down version of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’
serves as a magical background to this scene. I found the intimacy of this scene wholly overwhelming.

Krasilcic and Domschke have used their professional expertise, genuine love of art and passion for beauty in an honest and likeable way. Yes,
there are many provocative scenes but these are interjected with intelligent dialogue and humour thus the film remains grounded and not
pretentious nor alienating to the viewer. From the title itself, this film is tongue in cheek at times and during some of the most intellectual
moments, the characters’ often humorous reactions remind the viewer that this film does not intend to take itself too seriously.

The characters live and act in a world where we all secretly wished we lived. Sex is empowering, debauched and shameless but also intense
and romantic at times. There are no bills to pay or errands to run, their world is a penthouse flat on the beach in Sao Paulo and we never see the
characters leave this environment yet they are all aware of world and political issues even if this is ambiguous at times. In one scene, a phone
call is made to Angela in Berlin however when she picks up she is sitting in the room next to the caller. The older Angela reads the newspaper to
the older Paulo while he is in the bath. He soon becomes disinterested hearing about Bush, Blair and Lula and starts to play with a balloon and
squirts water at her.