Review of Moro no Brasil (2002) by D. Ryan L — 20 Oct 2008

I was admittedly skeptical. I mean, my stomach churns when I watch another documentary (or feature film) by a foreigner who "discovers" Brazil. Usually, that person does not speak Portuguese and has really learned very little about Brazil or Brazilians (let alone the many Brazils).

Although I thought the opening segment of the film was a bit strange, I was hooked in the northeast. I wondered why I hadn't bought a few dozen strange percussion instruments at the feira in Caruau and was ready to go back. Actually, I am always ready to get back to Pernambuco, but this was just fuel.

The Rio part was actually really fun and I loved how Kaurismaki didn't try to pretend that the film captured all of Brazilian music but rather that this was some pretty awesome stuff that he had run across. This segment in particular served as a nice complement to the Paulinho da Viola documentary, Meu tempo é hoje.