SFiFF vi: Delicate Crime

DELICATE CRIME (2005)
Brazil 87 minutes
Directed by Beto Brant
Written by Marcal Aquino, Marco Ricca, Beto Brant
Based on a novel by Sergio Sant”Anna

Cast:
Marco Ricca, Lilian Taublib, Felipe Ehrenberg, Maria Mandella

Director Beto Brant weaves together a complex trio of characters who collide in a web of passion, control and manipulation.

Antonio is a cynical, distant theater critic who “lives life in the third person.” By chance he meets Inez, a sensual, candid artist’s model with one leg. [He is drawn to her.] Upon discovering that Inez is the muse of painter Jose, Antonio begins an obsessive transformation, culminating in a desperate and impassioned act that changes his relationship with Inez—and both their lives—forever. In a collision of art, inspiration and sex, the characters are blindsided by the reality of their mistakes as they struggle to regain control. [SFiFF Program Guide]
This is what I saw:
This is Brazilian so the language must be Portuguese; in any case the characters come out talking a mile a minute—two or three lines of sub-titles at a time—so you either watch the characters or read the sub-titles.

The staccato language all ran together into a dull background drone; on the screen, the colors were muted and the rooms somber—I may have dozed off.
The unfortunate critic—how shall I put this—insinuates himself with some force upon the one legged woman; this is a relationship changing move, if I ever saw one.

The artist makes an erotic painting of the same one-legged woman, sketching her naked on a bed, oh, he’s naked too and on the same bed, the better to see, my dear. He fashions a painting from his sketches and it is hung in a gallery. When she visits she leaves her prosthetic leg on the gallery floor beneath the painting and the movie ends.

This is the worst film I”ve seen during my time as a member of the San Francisco Film Society.
mrating *

The San Francisco International Film Festival is running now through May 4. I”m volunteering at the festival and plan to attend as many of the films as I can work in to my schedule. Bear in mind that, for the most part, these are independent films and many have not been picked up for distribution, so they may not be playing at a “theater near you” anytime soon. On the other hand, some of the foreign films may have already been released in Europe.

As a public service, I will post brief reviews. My ratings are based on 5 stars ***** with a tilde ~ being half-a-star.

Happy viewing, or in any case, keep your eyes on rectorsite.com.