By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Vicente Amorim
Starring: Carol Castro | Cláudia Abreu | Manoel Sebastião Alves Filho | Ravi Ramos Lacerda | Wagner Moura
Original language title: O Caminho das Nuvens
Country: brazil
Year: 2004
Running time: 87
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379199/combined
Bruce says: “This is a lovely but somewhat lacking film. Director Vicente Amorim tells the story of a family of seven who travels
from northeast Brazil to Rio de Janeiro so that the father can find decent work that will allow him to care properly for his family. The trip is almost 2,000 miles; the seven of them travel on four bicycles. Sound ludicrous? Not quite, it is based on a true story.
“Both parents are Hollywood gorgeous. It would not be surprising to find either one of them in American films one day. Wagner Moura is a leading film actor in Brazil. Claudia Abreu is a popular Brazilian TV star. Ravi Ramos Lacerda (Antonio) was seen in the US in BEHIND THE SUN (2002).
“To start things off, the camera hovers over the clouds then zooms abruptly down to a deserted piece of land when the family is contemplating a sign that proclaims they are standing in ‘The Middle of the World Square.’ ‘Middle of Nowhere’ is more like it. Meanwhile the youngest child, a toddler has wandered off and is sitting in the middle of the road as a huge 18 wheeler rapidly approaches. Such are the perils of the road.
“It is unclear how delusional the father really is about finding a job; he is an unemployed truck driver, licensed to drive anything that doesn’t transport hazardous materials. Most of the villages they pass through on their journey have few cars and even fewer trucks. Most people they encounter on this odyssey are kind and sharing; a few are mean and that meanness lead to some harrowing experiences.
“To make matters worse, Antonio the eldest child is entering adolescence. He wants to act out and test his limits. His antics cause lots of delays and problems along the way. The story is so focused on his vignettes that in addition to a road movie this could also be classified as a coming-of-age film.
“Unlike the recent BEHIND THE SUN, THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD in no way romanticizes poverty. Amorim and his brother did a documentary film, TOO MUCH BRAZIL, about this family before making THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD. Perhaps that experience kept both his feet firmly planted in the real world.” 3 cats