Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho has followed up his critically-acclaimed 2012 debut feature Neighbouring Sounds with another intimate and gently affecting character study.
Nominated for both the Palme d’Or and the Queer Palm at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Aquarius tells the story of Clara (Sonia Braga), a 65-year-old widow and retired music critic, was born into affluence in Brazil. She is the last resident of the Aquarius, an apartment block built in the 1940s in wealthy seaside resort Avenida Boa Viagem, Recife.
With a contractor eyeing the property for redevelopment, Clara pledges that she will only leave upon her death, which sparks a exasperating and at times frightening conflict with the company. It’s a moving tale of resilience in which Brazilian upper-class society is gradually picked apart by a socially astute director who just keeps getting better.
Aquarius is released in cinemas 24 March.
Published 23 Feb 2017
The wistful latest from Korean maestro Hong Sang-soo is powered by an exceptional lead performance.
This searing addiction drama from director Trey Edward Shults shows a big Thanksgiving gathering going to hell.
Penélope Cruz stars in this frolicsome love letter to Spanish cinema’s golden age from director Fernando Trueba.
Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.
