This was the first big Brazilian drama that HBO worked on, and it’s a five-episode miniseries that lasts almost five hours in total. It’s a really emotional and political story set in Rio de Janeiro during the late 1980s, and it does a great job of showing what that era felt like while the country was dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis. Since the world feels so divided today, the show is a beautiful reminder of how queer people can find power by standing together when things are hard. The story is actually based on real things that happened, specifically about flight attendants who smuggled AIDS medicine from the US into Brazil in the 80s. It works as both a history drama and a strong political message. The show is mostly about three people: Nando, his best friend Lea (they both work as flight attendants for Fly Brasil), and Raul, who is a performer and an activist. A lot of the story happens at a club called Paradise, which was one of the few open gay clubs back in the 80s. Nando is a h...
The plot of the film is simple. Manny (Latin American) and Russ (American white) have been a married couple for a while but have drifted apart in last few months. Before they make their divorce official, they decide to take one last trip together to talk through their issues and get closure. It seems so far that they are breaking up on mutual terms but slowly unresolved issues keep coming up during this wine tasting trip. To Russ' surprise , Manny has invited their common friend Byron for part of their trip. As it turns out Byron has been their sexual partner off and on both as a couple and individuals. Byron’s arrival stirs tension between the two, and the trio set about getting to the bottom of where it all went wrong for Russ and Manny. While siping wine across multiple locations and hiking, Manny and Russ are able to hopefully talk it out how they really felt in the relationship and end the relationship on a cordial note.
When the film starts, you realize that Russ is pragmatic and Manny is more of a dreamer and impulsive person. We find out soon that he is looking for the meaning of his life. He has decided to move to a remote place for his art which is one of the contentions between the couple. It was initially boring to watch just the two guys talking about stuff, which to be honest wasn't even making much sense because it seems like they were beating around the bush trying to avoid the subject of divorce. But as the wine starts to flow and the conversations get deeper, Byron, their common friend, becomes the mediator between his two friends. Old tensions and frustrations flare up while they dissect the moments where their marriage started to fall apart. I actually had many problems with this film. A couple who seems content in the beginning anode with the fact that they must get divorced, clearly has plenty of issues to resolve. How the hell could they have just agreed to separate if they had not discussed all these things previously. Manny wanting to move to a different town and Russ not willing to do that can't be the only ground. In fact you would think that they must have discussed everything so far for them to be able to take a final trip together for a closure. But, in fact, it is exactly opposite. It is on this trip they tell each other about their fears, issues with each other and our their heart out. And I was like, come on.. shouldn't you have done all this already. The only good thing was there was a lot of wine drinking, which makes me now want to go for some wine tasting trip asap.
Coming to the acting, all three actors actually do a very good job and well as expected of them, but its the screenplay that is a downer. This could have been so much more interesting, had the makers not try to force their pseudo intellectual opinion and super heavy dialogues on the audience. (4/10)
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