A Dog's Will (2000)

Let's be realistic.

A Disappointing Continuation

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

A film with Brazilian scent and taste, hilarious and country side, that shows and plays with mystical and authentic figures, in a very good way, with actors that incorporate the climate. Film that was done next to a remarkable series of the TV and that obtained the prowess of presenting well two works connected, but perfectly free to occupy their spaces. I recommend!The filmmaker is the Pernambuco Guel Arraes, who develops exquisite works, many on TV and some pearls in the cinema, after that film made two exquisite, one a hilarious story about the discovery of Brazil with Caramuru: The Invention of Brazil (2001) and the another a novel similar to this one in this post, a hilarious movie, great called: Lisbela and the Prisoner (2003).

O Auto Compadecida no doubt is in the Top 3 of the best Brazilian film , based on a TV series with the same name , the film is fun and funny, the cast is very good, the protagonist duo has great chemistry , the jokes are good , and the film has participation of the Devil, Jesus is Mary, even it is interpreted by the great Fernanda Montenegro , the direction is good , the picture is beautiful , in my opinion O Auto Compadecida was the last Brazilian film that is really funny, because after only came movies bland, O Auto Compadecida has great humor, a good soundtrack , good performances , is certainly top three Brazilian films . Note 8.9

As I said this movie is a master-piece of Brazilian cinema. However, if you are not Brazilian you should have something in mind before you watch this. This movies is a comedy that mocks catholic church and how the so-called christians go to church but outside the church they are greedy, cheaters and corrupt. The two main characters are a reflect of the poor people, that most of the times have to become smart-asses to have food on their tables. This explains the so-called "Brazilian way" (jeitinho brasileiro). Even if you are good at heart, you will die of hunger if you don't fight for survival. No one will help you (not even church). The movie also shows how a small town in the northeast region is usually structured. Every small town has a church and one rich farmer that gets all the good landing to plant and make money. So poor people work their asses of, but all the money goes to church and the farmer. On the dry season it's even worse and many people migrate to the urban centers searching for a better life. It is inevitable that some of them will become robbers. But the main purpose of the play is to show that in the end, everyone is the same. They all go to the same place when they die. And in the case of those who believe in the catholic faith, you will be judged by your actions.This is a really common kind of comedy in Brazil. We tell a sad story using comedy, because we believe that laughing at our problems is the best way to have strength to face them. I've read a review complaining about the characters yelling all the time, that is because people from the northeast have a really particular accent, and it is really funny for people from the rest of the country. Even I find that accent funny, and I have a mild version of that accent. It's like a dialect from the northeast.I really feel that for a foreigner this movie won't have the same effect that it has to Brazilians. Many of the jokes were missed, specially the ones that play with the words. But it is still an interesting movie because of the social context, the photography and the popular cordel poetry. That is by far my favorite Brazilian movie, and this is not a critique to our cinema, which has had really great pieces over the years.

Before watching it, get this straight ! 1- This movie is an adaptation from a original play and smaller works from the same author (1955).2- This is not how Brazil is today in the country side but how it was at the beginning of the 20 century (circa 1920). Sort of Brazilian Wild West (in our case Wild East).3- This was a TV series much longer and was reduced to almost 1/3 of its original size for the theaters and DVD due to the great viewers ratings of the TV series.4- Much of the jokes and characters are local to the region shown in the movie: Sertão Brasileiro.5- To understanding the movie you should really know Brazilian Portuguese, some local accents related to the plot and the colloquial words used make it very tricky to translate, and in many cases, impossible. I watched also with English subtitles, and believe me: most of the jokes are gone.6- There is no parallels between this movie and "Cidade de Deus" (City of God). You can argue about the technical aspects of them but for me, is like comparing "much ado about nothing" (from Shakespeare) and American Pie. To really appreciate "much ado..." you you must master the English Victorian world completely (of course... its out of my league. Eng. is not my first !). Or like old Italian comedies from the 60 and 70 where many joke relay on gestures that a foreign just cant understand.7- And about the religious ending, its a joke inside the joke. And of course, if you cut a work that takes 3 1/2 hours to just 90 minutes and thinks that its the same thing....for example, for a native Brazilian, its just hilarious to see a black Jesus, a Zelot Devil and organized one following rules by the book.In the other hand, you could compare this movie to DOGMA (Kevin Smith). And its way better than DOGMA.Thats all folks...And of course... I'm a Brazilian.