The Moving Forest (orig. A Floresta que se Move) [2016]

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MPAA (UR would be PG-13) Fr. Dennis (3 1/2 Stars)

IMDb listing
AdoroCinema listing*

Criticos.com.br (L.F. Gallego) review*
A Folha do São Paulo (C. Starling Carlos) review*
O Globo (S. Schild) review*


The Moving Forest (orig. A Floresta que se Move) [2016] [IMDb] [AC]* (directed and cowritten by Vinicius Coimbra [IMDb] [AC]* along with  Manuela Dias [IMDb] [AC]*) is a CONTEMPORARY BRAZILIAN (URUGUAYAN SET) DRAMA based on the Shakesperean play Macbeth and was made in honor of the recent 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.  The film played recently at the 32nd (2016) Chicago Latino Film Festival.

Elias (played by Gabriel Braga Nunes [IMDb] [AC]*) and César (played by Ângelo Antônio [IMDb] [AC]*) come home from a distant business trip.  At the airport they run into a strange "knitting lady" who greets Elias as the "Vice President" of his Bank.  Taken aback (he does not know her, and she's wrong) he corrects her that he's but a Financial Officer of the his Bank.  She repeats that today he's the "Vice President" and that tomorrow he could be "President" of the Bank.

The two arrive at their Bank's Headquarters and the Bank's President Heitor (played by Nelson Xavier [IMDb] [AC]*) tells them that indeed both of them are being promoted.  The previous VP had been forced to resign because of scandal, Elias is to take the VP's job and César, Elias'.  Elias is both surprised and impressed, that old woman had been right.

He comes home and tells his beautiful wife Clara (played by Ana Paula Arósio [IMDb] [AC]*) the news, that he's become Vice President at the Bank and that he's invited Heitor over to dinner at their stunning, modern, if certainly "cold" stone-steel-and-glass mansion at the outskirts of the city.  On hearing this, all that Clara can think of is how to knock-off Heitor when he comes over, telling Elias "a chance like this WON'T come again."

Elias initially discounts Clara's suggestions.  Yet, as with ... ambition starts to get the better of him.  Clara's right, there won't another chance like this ever again, and that strange old knitter was right as well.  He COULD become President (of the bank) "in a day."

The rest of the story ensues ... ;-)

I did find the film to be a very good adaptation.  I also have to say that Elias / Clara's citadel, sleek, modern but (air conditioned) COLD was a REMARKABLE re-imagination of an "Old Scottish Castle" even if it was located in a quite WARM WEATHER location like CONTEMPORARY BRAZIL / URUGUAY today ;-).

Anyway, I do think that MANY Shakespeare lovers would enjoy what the film makers did with the play here in this film.

Good, good job! ;-)


* Foreign language webpages are most easily translated using Google's Chrome Browser. 

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