The Other Side of the Street (2005)
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Theatrical Release: Feb 25, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: First-time Brazilian director Marcos Bernstein makes his debut with this visually rich, superbly acted drama. Starring Academy Award-nominated actress Fernando Montenegro (CENTRAL STATION) and acclaimed Brazilian actor Raul Cortez, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET offers a fresh... First-time Brazilian director Marcos Bernstein makes his debut with this visually rich, superbly acted drama. Starring Academy Award-nominated actress Fernando Montenegro (CENTRAL STATION) and acclaimed Brazilian actor Raul Cortez, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET offers a fresh perspective on what it means to grow old in a world preoccupied with youth. Regina is a 65-year-old woman living alone in Copacabana who is having trouble coming to terms with the way the world sees her. In avoidance of the routine existence expected of people her age, Regina works part-time as a police informant, using the invisibility that comes with her age in a host of potentially dangerous situations. When not supplying tips to the police, Regina sits in her dining room window peering out at the apartment complex across the way. Regina's closest connection to the world is through her binocular lenses. But that changes when she witnesses a murder and becomes obsessed with the investigation. As Regina becomes involved with Camargo, the murder suspect, she is forced to retire her role of observer, and become an active participant. Regina is an interesting character in that she simultaneously craves companionship and pushes people away, her utter disconnect in society contrasting with her desire to be a part of everything around her. Though the world dismisses her as old, Regina stays young at heart through her strong sense of curiosity. This characteristic is well-developed through the film's visual style and music, which explores the intense emotion and voyeuristic tendencies augmented by loneliness and isolation. Rather than being preoccupied with their own mortality, Regina and Camargo are invested in living life to the fullest. [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Fernanda Montenegro, Raul Cortez, Laura Cardoso, Luis Carlos Persy, Milene Pizarro
DVD Info
Release:
Jul 19, 2005
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Widescreen
Additional Release Material:
- Featurette - 1. Making Of
- Trailer - Original Theatrical Trailer
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
[These] could have been compelling characters, but The Other Side of the Street surrounds them with contrivance, and it quickly grows tedious.
The Other Side of the Street is full of the stillness, and silences, of a life that's been muted and shut down.
Succeeds in portraying seniors with sexual identities and desires, but fails on most other counts.
A poignant little film that explores loss and new leases on life with intelligence and care.
[A] tough, sentimental Brazilian drama about two young souls distressed to find themselves in elderly bodies.
Regina has no traces of caricature and is portrayed as a disgruntled snoop, a disappointed mother and a lonely 75-year-old looking for emotional and physical companionship.
The Other Side of the Street is more love story than thriller, with the mystery providing only slack tension and the December-December romance that ultimately develops between Regina and Camargo crackling with drama and sexual tension aplenty.
A languid, delicate character study; the strengths of the film are found in the loving yet unsentimental portrayal of its two intensely troubled, carefully drawn protagonists.
It's part crime thriller, part touching romance, part family drama, and part CPD (Cocoon Police Department).
The performances of Ms. Montenegro and Raul Cortez as Camargo light up the screen.
Overall the writer-director's pacing of this leisurely story, and the obvious delight he takes in Regina, carries the film.
First-time Brazilian director Marcos Bernstein's thriller examines old age, alienation -- and a murder mystery!
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