Agree with previous reviewer that this film was a poor choice for TIFF where usually the quality of the films is quite high. The absurdity of the set up was laughable: gorgeous surfer boy leaves monastery and returns to his favorite beach to ride the waves and commune to God. I wanted to ask: who maintained his highlights at the monastery? Apparently the cinematographer was unable to get many decent shots of him surfing, so we are left watching endless underwater shots of nothing, accompanied by the sound of gurgling water. The actors all looked like they were in a soap opera, with the usual anxious staring instead of dialog.
3 Reviews
Dive beneath the surface
tadeu-br27 October 2011
How strong can a film be? Its images can be powerful enough to give us emotions. This is what happens in this Portuguese gem. A film that deals both with surf and a religious personal quest. Surf, of course, can be a metaphor for life. For our age, when 140 characters can be a text, a film as 'This side of resurrection' can be a daring experience that forces its audience to seat, take a deep breath and dive with its protagonists siblings into the ocean of life.
Mr Sapinho and his cast have produce a beautiful mediation about life and faith - not only in God or Jesus, but in ourselves.
It was a pleasure to have it in the selection of São Paulo Film Festival/2011.
Mr Sapinho and his cast have produce a beautiful mediation about life and faith - not only in God or Jesus, but in ourselves.
It was a pleasure to have it in the selection of São Paulo Film Festival/2011.
If there ever was an empty movie, this is it.
vrs00317 September 2011
This is the 2nd time in my life that I've walked out of a movie.
Forty minutes into showing, nothing was happening. Except (5 minutes) shots of a monastery, (20 minutes of the beach and the brother surfing, sister sulking (10 minutes). The five or six dialogs are devoid of any emotion; I was cringing in my seat. These can't be actors?
Indie movie this is not. What it is... is a waste of time and money. How dare TIFF select this for the festival.
As an avid film lover, I've never been insulted by the emptiness of this movie. It's not even stupid, it has nothing to offer. NADA.
Sapinho, who also wrote the script, has no business sitting behind the director's chair.
Forty minutes into showing, nothing was happening. Except (5 minutes) shots of a monastery, (20 minutes of the beach and the brother surfing, sister sulking (10 minutes). The five or six dialogs are devoid of any emotion; I was cringing in my seat. These can't be actors?
Indie movie this is not. What it is... is a waste of time and money. How dare TIFF select this for the festival.
As an avid film lover, I've never been insulted by the emptiness of this movie. It's not even stupid, it has nothing to offer. NADA.
Sapinho, who also wrote the script, has no business sitting behind the director's chair.
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