Builds a quiet portrait of a family step-by-step imploding. Such a sympathetic depiction of working-class families are rarely seen on screen from any country.
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12/23/08
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Alice's House (2008)
90 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 30
Fresh: 27
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Consensus: Chico Teixeira's steady hand and unblinking, sympathetic eye -- along with Carla Ribas' breathtaking performance -- make this portrait of working-class Brazilian life extraordinary.
Theatrical Release:Jan 25, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: Brazilian documentary filmmaker Chico Teixeira brings a refreshingly natural touch to ALICE'S HOUSE, a working class drama about personal and family betrayal. Forty-ish manicurist Alice (Carla... [More]
Starring: Carla Ribas, Vinicius Zinn, Ricardo Vilaça, Felipe Massuia
Director: Chico Teixeira
Reviews for Alice's House
First-time director Chico Teixeira, an accomplished maker of documentaries in Brazil, brings a similar nonfiction feel to this melodramatic milieu, which is kick-started when Alice contemplates having an affair of her own with a former sweetheart.
07/18/08
Nothing much happens in Alice's House, and a turning point in the plot is terribly contrived, but as sociology and maybe even a pilot for a soap serial, the movie is worth a look.
07/11/08
Top CriticAlice's House is character driven, and the performances are key.
07/11/08
mia ap' aytes tis tainies poy den se noiazei an emfanistei enas pistolas apo to dipla gyrisma na toys gazosei oloys, arkei na teleiosei. Kai telika, kapos etsi ginetai.
05/06/08
Even though it sounds awfully depressing, there's something moving about watching people go at their lives with everything they have -- or don't have.
04/10/08
Top CriticVery well-acted, especially by (Carla) Ribas, this is a tense drama of friendship, family and deceit that explores a wide spectrum of raw emotions.
04/07/08
[The] restrained, elliptical style, focused on details rather than confrontations, and the nuanced performances make this house a home.
04/02/08
Like a Brazilian telenovela unfolding in real time, the film fans its cards out slowly until we can see for ourselves the deck is stacked.
03/14/08
Top CriticTeixeira brings his camera into her home and quietly records the details of her daily life. The result is a carefully observed film about one woman's growing dissatisfaction.
03/05/08
[Director Chico] Texeira's ordinary characters have a quiet genuineness and clarity that is rare anywhere in movies these days.
02/25/08
Although the characters are steeped in the culture of telenovelas and voodoo superstition, Alice's House is a subtly flavorful slice of life rather than a steamy potboiler.
02/25/08
The capable cast, director’s documentarian past and ambient soundtrack heighten the film’s real-life sensibility, perfectly capturing the working-class life of a São Paulo family.
02/25/08
In her first leading role, Carla Ribas joins the fast-growing ranks of middle-aged Latina actresses whose performances resonate with a beguiling mixture of emotional complexity and sexual maturity.
02/22/08
In a remarkably assured, no-frills feature debut, Brazilian documentarian Chico Teixeira draws a vivid portrait of marital and familial dysfunction.
02/22/08
Ribas has justifiably won a shelf of awards for her portrayal.
02/07/08
The juiciest bits happen off camera, yet their consequences are riveting, thanks in no small measure to sympathetic performances by Carla Ribas and Berta Zemel.
02/06/08
The gritty location shooting, the absence of a soundtrack and the casting of non-professionals in key roles help capture an all-important sense of place with almost documentary precision.
01/25/08
Teixeira elicits extraordinary performances from his entire cast.
01/25/08
Top CriticWriter-director Chico Teixeira, who started out making documentaries, watches from afar as his middle-class characters go about their day-in, day-out activities, most of which revolve around sex.
01/25/08
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