Movie review: O Homem do Ano

I guess they speak Portuguese in Brazil: The Man of the Year.

It's too bad most of my friends aren't so interested in foreign movies. Not that I'm into the foreign language part of it. I hate having to read it all too, but it's often worth it! By the time it gets press here, the crap from other countries have obviously been filtered out and whatever's left is ready for the big leagues, right? But there's something different about foreign movies. Often the moral of the story is the same, but fresh as told from another cultural baseline. Something mundane to their local audience become colourful details for someone less worldly like myself. But I digress.

Before you're born, someone, maybe God, defines exactly how He's going to fuck your life.

Being from the same country as the critically acclaimed City of God, comparisons are often made with The Man of the Year. The fact that it fares well in these comparisons is a good start. I'm no movie critic so I missed many of the metaphors for Brazilian society in the main character Máiquel. To relate to him, I found I had to take an initial leap in how easy it is to kill someone. But after that, it's a spiral rollercoaster ride in how a chain of events can complicate your life beyond control. It starts out fun, but does get real serious real fast, so not exactly a warm fuzzy movie.

16/19 stars

Do blondes have more fun?


I was in the mood for a happier movie though. I thought from the initial synopsis, that this would be a fun adventure film! Y'know, like Amelie, or Fight Club; other movies that are classic one-thing-leads-to-another type movie, but with happy endings. But no, more drama than the action/comedy/crime categories IMDB would suggest. Hmmm... will I need to watch Eternal Sunshine for the umpteenth time for a pick-me-up?