The Man of the Year who Copied

Another couple movie recommendations this week from FLFB. I'm getting some serious mileage out of my gift Netflix account. And, sticking to my Brazilian theme, here they are:

1. "The Man of the Year".

No not "Man of the Year" (Robin Williams, 2006), this is "O Homem do Ano" (The Man of the Year). The story of a guy who does his community a favor, of sorts, and becomes a local hero. It's kind of what you might get if Tarantino directed Goodfellas on the mean streets of Rio de Janeiro. Action packed, certainly, but no Mr. Wolf. For me, it reminded me of why my boss in Brazil was so worried when we went to Rio by ourselves. One of the central themes of the movie is just how scared the ordinary Cariocas (as citizens of Rio are called) are day-to-day and how commonplace robberies, assaults, and outright murder are there. It's ironic that the more fences, bars, guards, and video cameras you have to protect your home; the more likely the crimminals will target you for a robbing. If you liked Goodfellas, and can handle that level of brutality, rent it.

2. "The Man Who Copied"
A more light-hearted, yet still a bit violent, portrayal of life in Brazil. In a way, it's a classic boy sees girl, boy becomes infatuated with girl, boy finally gets his chance type movie ala John Hughes, but without any memorable one-liners. I guess the most notable part for me was the realization of the sense of nostaglia for just ordinary life in Brazil that I've developed. The main character was a Copier-Boy, an actual profession in Brazil. I remember there being copier places all over the cities, even the malls. There are a ton of legal documents that Brazilians have to deal with, and most of them need to be notorized, in triplicate, at these special shops where people stand around for seemingly hours for their chance to get their copies. And every page needs at least 1 or 2 official stamps. The places are awash with brief flashes from the copier, then the STOMP-STOMP-STOMP of high-speed, manual, ink-and-rubber stamping. Kinda charming, really. There would usually be a little snack cart somewhere nearby to pass the time at, eating coxinhas, drinking a cerverja, and chatting it up with the locals. As for the movie, worth a peek if you want to get a glimpse of everyday life there.

In about a week or so, it'll be 1 year since I left Brazil. I can't believe it.

Rio

I came across this on the web today, and I realized I don't think I've mentioned our three trips to Rio de Janeiro.

Our first was in February '05, just about 6 months after we moved to Brazil. Our best friends in Brazil (an Austrian and Brazilian couple) had been to Rio numerous times, and were our guides. There was also some big meeting at the plant that week, so there were a bunch of "gringos" in town and, well, when in Brazil it seems to be a requirement to visit Rio. So, we went. What stands out in my memory from this trip is caipirinihas on Ipanema beach, finding the "Top Beer" in Ipanema, and making the Rio to SJC run in record time (about 3-1/2 hours). Of course, the awe of seeing Rio for the first time is indelible. It's a beautiful city. Good times, indeed.

Our second trip was in September '05 when my brother, his wife, and 2-year old son came down for a visit. This time, we drove into Rio ourselves, unescorted. A big step for us. My boss was like a nervous father about us going alone. He called me the night before to make sure I really knew what I was doing. I assured him we'd be fine. You see, even Brazilian's have a fearful respect of Rio's high crime rate. I would say 75% of my co-workers had never been to Rio, and would never go. I guess it's similar to what we might say about visiting Camden or Newark after dark. We hired a tour guide for the day, who showed us the highlights of the city.

Our third trip was in March, 2006, when my friend Brian visited. We hired the same tour guide, and again had a great tour of the city. We spent one afternoon walking the length of Ipanema beach, even past Posto 9, and onto the rocks between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. (Posto 9 means, basically, block 9 of the beach - it's where all those with the best bodies supposedly hang out) We had a few cervejas along the way, of course.

Rio is beautiful, there's no doubt about it. Someday, I'll go back. For now, I'll just enjoy the memories.