The longing of the Gusmão sisters

Movie
German title	The longing of the Gusmão sisters
Original title	A Vida Invisível De Eurídice Gusmão
Country of production	Brazil , Germany
original language	Portuguese
Publishing year	2019
length	140 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Karim Ainouz
script	Murilo Hauser
production	Rodrigo Teixeira , ; Michael Weber
music	Benedict slate
camera	Hélène Louvart
cut	Heike Parplies
occupation
	Fernanda Montenegro : Eurídice Gusmão; Carol Duarte : the young Eurídice; António Fonseca : Manuel; Gregório Duvivier : Antenor; Júlia Stockler : Guida Gusmão;

The Longing of the Sisters Gusmão (original title A Vida Invisível De Eurídice Gusmão , international English-language title The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão ) is a film drama by Karim Aïnouz , which won the main prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes International Film Festival .

action

The two sisters Eurídice and Guida Gusmão live in Rio de Janeiro in the 1940s. You are beautiful, brave and headstrong. But even if the city has a cosmopolitan flair, women should above all be loving wives and mothers.

production

The film is based on the novel The Many Talents of the Sisters Gusmão (original title A Vida Invisível De Eurídice Gusmão ) by Martha Batalha from 2015. Directed by Karim Aïnouz , Murilo Hauser adapted Batalha's novel for the film. The film tells of patriarchal structures and what the director calls a disastrous hyper-machism in Brazil, from which women would still suffer today. Ainouz didn't film the book one-to-one, but adopted the constellation and narrative breadth it contained, according to Christian Horn: “Correspondingly epic, the director tells the double life story of the separated sisters, both in their own way with the social constraints and the strongly patriarchal dominated customs fight. [...] The tragedy that the lives of the two sisters take place at the same time, where they could be an important support for each other, lies above every scene. ”The film received a production grant of 150,000 euros from the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg .

Fernanda Montenegro and Júlia Stockler can be seen in the title roles of the sisters Eurídice and Guida Gusmão , with Carol Duarte taking on the role of the young Eurídice.

The film music was composed by Benedikt Schiefer . The soundtrack, which comprises a total of 12 pieces of music, was released as a download by Milan Records in mid-November 2019.

The film was shown for the first time on May 20, 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival and celebrated its German premiere on June 29, 2019 at the Munich Film Festival . In September 2019 the film was presented at the Leipzig Film Art Fair, at the end of September, beginning of October 2019 at the Zurich Film Festival , and at the beginning of October 2019 at the London Film Festival . The Amazon Studios secured the distribution rights for the United States. In January 2020 there was a screening at the Palm Springs International Film Festival . It was released in Austrian cinemas on March 13, 2020.

In the justification of the international jury of the Munich Film Festival, where the co-producers Viola Fügen and Michael Weber were awarded, the outstanding camera work is emphasized, but also the appealing acting achievements. It is “an emotional story that takes place largely in the past,” it continues, “and which manages to make the echo of the story echo in today's political climate in a wonderful way by taking the position of the Woman in Brazilian Society illuminated ”.

reception

Reviews

The film has so far won over 92 percent of all Rotten Tomatoes critics and received an average rating of 7.2 out of a possible 10 points.

Christian Horn remarks on programmkino.de, the website of the Gilde deutscher Filmkunsttheater , that Karim Aïnouz does not rely solely on the social story based on the novel, but also finds a strong staging approach to the material: “Despite all the tearful sadness, Die Sehnsucht throws the Gusmão sisters take an optimistic view of life, love and the many ups and downs that go with it. The pictures are colorful, without ever drifting into kitsch, the acting performances are consistently excellent. "What is remarkable is the great concentration with which each picture is constructed, continues Horn, and the figures are often framed or otherwise narrowed, just like it is in the great melodramas by Douglas Sirk from the 1950s and others. Aïnouz manages to perfectly balance the melodramatic exaggeration and the eye for small observations, making The Longing of the Gusmão Sisters a film of great emotions.

The jury of the Evangelical Film Work recommended Die Sehnsucht der Gusmão as Film of the Month for December 2019. The reasoning states that the film is wise in its visual sensuality and its immovable empathy for the main characters beyond its historical setting into the contemporary: "He is a Passionate plea for women’s right to self-determination in all matters - reproduction, sexuality, work, relationships. "

Awards

The longing of the Gusmao sisters was submitted by Brazil at the 2020 Academy Awards in the category Best International Film , but was not shortlisted. Further awards and nominations follow.

Belgrade International Film Festival 2020