Nossos Parabéns ao Freitas (2003) User Reviews

Amazing short-film, a humorous depiction of Brazilian lower middle class

[depositodofilipe · 10/10 · 4 October 2015]

Nossos Parabéns ao Freitas is one of my favorite short films, if not my favorite of all times. This trashy portrayal of Brazilian lower middle class life with a feminist revenge never fails to make me laugh. Yes, Frota's appearance in the end is one hell of a plot twist and the penetration sequence is amazingly shot, but the devil is in the details here. The soundtrack in the BBQ scene, Ivete Sangalo's hit "Poeira" is extremely ironic as social commentary. But for me what really sets the tone of the narrative is the presence of one of Freitas' friends (forgot his name): he symbolizes a typically Brazilian type, what we call a "tiozão". His line "não vou conversar com você porque você é burro" (roughly translated as "I won't argue with you because you're stupid!") has even become a sort of a meme. The highlight of his presence in the film, however, is his remark about the hostess of the show they are watching TV, and how he uses that to mock his friend's masculinity. All in all, what I like about Nossos Parabéns ao Freitas is how, besides all of the previously mentioned aspects, it uses elements of a certain "macho" culture to criticize this culture itself, doing so without taking itself too seriously, unlike some more expensive Brazilian productions that attempt to discuss political issues.