Listonixio
Fresh and Exciting
Taraparain
Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
caiomurillo-inf
This film is brilliant, flawless performances and beautifully told story, coupled with the beautiful soundtrack. Unfortunately Brazilian films still suffer discrimination even here.I would love people to disclose this marvelous work.When I see the potential of this movie, seriously believe that would be worthy of an Oscar, two or three Oscar's. Not that Oscar is so important to the quality of a film if the film did not win is not a sign that he is not good.Briefly, this movie demonstrates what happens when people are prejudiced, and prefer to push the issue to another, than face it. And still today, because it shows that you treat marijuana like crazy, can only worsen things.
Marco Pontual
Bicho de Sete Cabeças is one of those movies that you wait to get good until you realize the movie is almost over and that moment never came.The plot makes you wonder all the time why the main character (Neto) isn't saying what he is supposed to in order to get out of the situations. He screams and bashes objects after he is specifically told not to otheriwise he would go to shock therapy. He takes a lot of the medicine the hospital gives him daily even after one of the internees tells him it is bad for them and he should just pretend he's taking it. He doesn't hide his face when he drugs up a nurse to burn a basket of medicine. He doesn't say anything that makes sense when trying to make his parents take him out of the hospital.On the top of it all you have a truly annoying soundtrack featuring Arnaldo Antunes, a guy that is known for sounding like he is burping when trying to sing.God I better stop there I'm getting nervous just to talk about it again. If that is not enough to stop you from watching that movie, well, maybe you will like it then.
Edgar Soberon Torchia
"Bicho de sete cabeças" is based on a true story, but it somehow resembles an overlong advertising spot with documentary posturing. Director Laís Bodanzky tries to make it look harsh and real, but few situations ring true, not the least those related to the young. This is quite obvious when the filmmakers try to find a cinematic equivalent to the perceptive alterations of a person under the influence of drugs. Back in the 1960's one could pass such naiveté as a Roger Corman joke in the face of lack of budget, but today it seems rather clumsy. Although he is too old for the leading role of Neto, Rodrigo Santoro gives a startling performance. As a matter of fact, it is his work that holds the movie together. Unfortunately, he has to deal with a weak script that opts for stereotypes: this is not a bad option per se, but it clashes with the film's intention to create a documentary climate. When the family visits Santoro in the sanatorium, for example, incoherence reigns, sister makes dumb remarks, mother smokes, while father bursts into his usual rhetoric. Poor Othon Bastos does his best to bring a bit of humanity out of his role as the father, loaded with clichéd dialogues. Hugo Kovensky's cinematography is also outstanding but in the end the script and the direction betray the intentions of the rest concerned. 6/10
prix162
Alternative (and artistic said) direction is a tradition among Brazilian movies, and Bicho de Sete Cabeças does not escape from it. The first thing you notice when watching it that the image is not of a very high quality; a cheaper type of film was used. That can be explained by the fact that the movie industry is not very sponsored in Brazil, forcing some cuts on the budget. But that can also be a consequence of the constant fight of Brazilian moviemakers to never do things in the conventional way. That is also noticed on the unusual takes and camera movements.Normally, that is the exact reason why Brazilian people themselves dislike Brazilian movies. It is rather unpleasant to watch. Some scenes even create a certain dizziness. And for that reason, this alternative direction is a nuisance for the beginning of the movie, where we see Neto living his everyday life. It may not be an ordinary one, but his personal decadence could have been shown using modern filming techniques, that wouldn't create in the audience the feeling that they're watching an amateur movie, something homemade. However, when it comes to the scenes that occur inside the madhouse, this alternative directions fits exactly with the horrible climate that fills the place. It transmits to the audience the point of view of the character; a normal person who's under the effect of heavy drugs and is surrounded by mad people. That uncommon filming enters the audience mind, as if they were there, living that situation. It makes them feel uncomfortable, but that's the purpose.The poison for some is the balm for others. So the lesson here is that nations should exchange their techniques and use them to best fit their movie, instead of keeping fighting against what is foreigner.
