Madame Sata skips over so much that it's even difficult to tell what year it is or how much time passes between scenes.
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07/11/03
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Madame Sata (2003)
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Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:25
Rotten:17
Average Rating:6.2/10
Theatrical Release:Jul 9, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: Lapa, the bohemian district of Rio, 1932. On the stage of cabaret Lux, Vitória dos Anjos (Renata Sorrah) sings one of Josephine Baker's greatest hits, "Nuit d'Alger". Backstage, fascinated,... [More]
Starring: Lazaro Ramos, Marcelia Cartaxo, Flavio Bauraqui, Felipe Marques
Director: Karim Aïnouz
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Reviews for Madame Sata
Ainouz’ script and style seem unwilling to explore below the surface. He embraces the story’s physical details...without revealing much of his subject’s soul.
09/30/04
An amateurish muddle, and a whole different kind of a drag.
10/30/03
While the depiction of the Lapa district and the details of repressed homosexual life in Rio 10 years ago is always intriguing, we come away learning very little about the individual known as Madame Satã.
10/27/03
Ramos gives a powerful and raw performance, but never reveals what makes Joao who he is, what drives him both to violence and to vibrant self-expression.
09/11/03
All the main characters are loud, crude, obnoxious and just grating in general.
02/12/03
Erotic, violent and bursting with colour.
11/07/03
It doesn't tell us enough about its subject and yet its in-your-face love affair with that very subject blocks its ability to speak more fully of the broader social and culture issues of its milieu.
08/10/03
You get nothing about what makes his life so interesting.
09/26/03
In this vibrant character study, newcomer Lázaro Ramos plays Francisco with an almost animal intensity, a reflection of the man's volatile and ambiguous spirit, where any given event seems equally likely to end in either a cathartic fit of laughter or a s
07/11/03
If we never really understand Joao, there is another problem with the character, and that is: He isn't very nice. I refer not to his crimes, but to the way he treats those who care for him.
08/22/03
Top CriticDirector Karim Ainouz's film draws you in close.
10/10/03
Top CriticOne of those films that takes up a potentially fascinating subject only to fumble it.
07/09/03
Top CriticRough-hewn and vigorous, Karim Aïnouz’s first feature film tells the story about an illiterate 1930s drag queen... and it’s surprisingly good.
10/07/03
Filled with the sights and sounds of Rio of a bygone era, the whole thing virtually pulses with excitement.
07/11/03
Brazilian filmmaker Karim Ainouz doesn't glorify dos Santos but examines the hot, reckless fever of his life in all its thorny complexity.
07/11/03
Top CriticThe real rewards of this tough-minded yet hugely enjoyable throwback to earlier queer and art-house cinema work are its psychologically complex characterizations and its gorgeous craftsmanship.
08/20/03
There's no denying the incendiary power of Ramos's performance -- he's present in nearly every scene.
07/08/03
Top CriticMadame Sata is no exotic tour of the slums of Rio. It takes you deeper into the soul of its title character and his desperate world than you imagined a movie could go.
07/09/03
Top CriticOften captivating.
11/07/03
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