Linha De Passe

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It's another Brazilian slum movie but, before you sigh loudly, Salles (Motorcycle Diaries) and Thomas (Foreign Land) have avoided the drug dealers and corrupt police in Linha De Passe, which have become synonymous with Brazilian movies of late, for a multi-plotted family drama. Clueza (Corveloni) is a mother of four boys (and expecting another) to different fathers and struggles to make ends meet; Dinho (Rodriguez) was a one time low-lifer who has found religion; courier Denis is a father but is estranged (kind of) from his child's mother; Dario (de Oliveira) knows his only way out is football; and Reginaldo (Kaique Jesus Santos) skips school to ride the bus all day.

Shot documentary style, Linha De Passe chugs along nicely, taking its time to get to know all involved, but there's nothing involving about these characters and maybe that's because nothing of real interest happens to them. The best story on show is Dario's heartbreaking quest to become a professional footballer, but anyone who knows anything about football will know that his climax is rooted more in Hollywood and contradicts the realistic parameters Salles and Thomas lay down at the outset. Salles and Thomas waste their likeable cast by not having them do anything of note; maybe this is more true to life, but it certainly doesn't make for fascinating storytelling. William Goldman (writer of All The President's Men and The Princess Bride) once said that if film were rooted in real life, movies would be about a guy driving into town and spending the next 90 minutes looking for a parking space.