Sócrates (film)

Sócrates is a critically acclaimed 2018 Brazilian drama film directed by Alexandre Moratto, starring Christian Malheiros--both in their film debuts.[1] The film traces the story of Sócrates, a black 15-year-old teen from Santos, in the coast of São Paulo, who has to overcome extreme poverty, the death of his mother, and homophobia.

Sócrates
Directed byAlexandre Moratto
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Thayná Mantesso
  • Alexandre Moratto
Starring
Release date
21 September 2018 (Los Angeles)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryBrazil
LanguagePortuguese

Plot

"After his mother's sudden death, Sócrates, a 15-year-old living on the margins of São Paulo's coast, must survive on his own while coming to terms with his grief,"[2] dire economic situation, family strife, homophobia, abuse, lust, and love.

Production

The film was executive produced by Academy Award-nominated Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, who called it "a great and sensitive debut film. A mirror to the youth in Brazil and all over the world."[3] It was produced by acclaimed filmmaker and Columbia University associate film professor Ramin Bahrani, who Moratto counts as a mentor.[4][5] The film was "the first feature produced by the Querô Institute in Brazil where it was co-written, produced, and acted by at-risk teenagers from local low-income communities, with the support of UNICEF."[1] Produced on a budget of $20,000,[6] the film relied heavily on untrained actors giving naturalistic performances.[7]

Cast
  • Christian Malheiros as Sócrates[8]
  • Tales Ordakji as Maicon,[8] Sócrates's friend and lover
  • Caio Martinez Pacheco as Chicão,[8] Sócrates's cousin
  • Rosane Paulo as Dona,[8] Sócrates's landlady
  • Jayme Rodrigues as Robson,[8] Sócrates's father
  • Vanessa Santana as Social Worker[9]

Release & Reception

Released by Breaking Glass Pictures, the film premiered on September 21, 2018, at the LA Film Festival.[10] The film was released theatrically and on PVOD release in the United States in August 2019.[11]

The film holds an 83% critical approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 7.33/10 based on 19 ratings, and an 84% audience approval rating with a score of 3.62/5 based on 12 ratings.[12] The film received a score of 83 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[13] The New York Times selected it as a Critic's Pick, where it was reviewed by Jeannette Catsoulis, who wrote, "'Socrates' isn’t simply about being gay, or poor, or even devastatingly unloved: It’s about honoring a resilience that most of us will thankfully never have to summon."[14] The Los Angeles Times review by Carlos Aguilar called the film an "affecting and necessary debut."[15] In a four star review on RogerEbert.com, critic Godfrey Cheshire called the film "a work whose accomplishments signal a director of great promise."[16] Writing for Film Threat, critic Alex Saveliev noted that the film has "an authenticity rarely seen in contemporary cinema."[17]

Critics also focused on Christian Malheiros' award-winning performance. Writing for the Hollywood Reporter, critic Frank Scheck called his performance "stunning."[18] In Variety, critic Dennis Harvey wrote "Malheiros’ terrific turn makes this protagonist credibly tough by necessity, and mature beyond his years."[19] In The Los Angeles Times, critic Carlos Aguilar wrote that Malheiros' "facial gestures oscillate between stoicism and crushing wails."[15] In The New York Times, critic Jeannette Catsoulis wrote, "his charm and energy draw us immediately to his side."[14]

The film was nominated for Best Male Lead (Malheiros), the John Cassavetes Award (best films under $500,000), and the Someone to Watch Award (Moratto) at the 2019 Independent Spirit Awards,[20] winning in the latter.[21] The film went on to win over a dozen awards at international film festivals including the Thessaloniki, Mannheim-Heidelberg, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Woodstock, and Uruguay Film Festivals.[22] In March 2019, it won the prestigious Jordan Ressler First Feature Award at the Miami Film Festival.[23] In August 2019, it was shortlisted for Brazil's official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature.[24][25][1]

Malheiros won the Special Jury Award at the 67th Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, one of the longest-running film festivals in Europe. Of his performance, the festival noted:

"A jury watches a lot of films. If one thing sticks with you that you don’t forget, it is often a face. In this case it is the face of Christian Malheiros in the Brazilian Film 'Socrates'. The worry, the happiness and the hope in this face – and his fight in the big city jungle of São Paulo – will not soon be forgotten by those who see it. That is why this year’s Special Jury Award goes to the actor Christian Malheiros in the film 'Socrates'."[26]

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References
  1. "'Socrates', Produced by Professor Ramin Bahrani, Wins Independent Spirit Award". Columbia - School of the Arts. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  2. Socrates, retrieved 2020-08-13
  3. Socrates (2019) Official Trailer | Breaking Glass Pictures | BGP Indie LGBTQ Movie, retrieved 2019-09-01
  4. "'Socrates' Filmmaker Alexandre Moratto on the Making of His Award-Winning Debut". Film Independent. 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  5. "Ramin Bahrani". Columbia - School of the Arts. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  6. "Socrates (2019) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  7. "Interview with 'Socrates' cast & filmmakers at the 2019 Spirit Awards - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  8. "Sócrates". AdoroCinema. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  9. Socrates, retrieved 2019-09-01
  10. "Socrates - LA Film Festival".
  11. "U.S. Theatrical and VOD Release of SÓCRATES". Cinema Tropical. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  12. Socrates (2019), retrieved 2020-08-13
  13. Socrates, retrieved 2019-09-01
  14. Catsoulis, Jeannette (2019-08-15). "'Socrates' Review: Surviving on the Streets of São Paulo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  15. "Review: 'Socrates' reveals the struggle of a gay teen in the slums of Brazil". Los Angeles Times. 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  16. Cheshire, Godfrey. "Socrates Movie Review | Socrates Movie | Socrates | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  17. "Socrates". Film Threat. 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  18. "'Socrates': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  19. Harvey, Dennis (2019-07-03). "Film Review: 'Socrates'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  20. Erbland, Kate (16 November 2018). "2019 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees: 'Eighth Grade' & 'We the Animals' Lead". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  21. "Best Director - Spirit Awards: 'If Beale Street Could Talk' Wins Best Feature; Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  22. "Awards & Festivals". Socrates. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  23. Emmanuelle. "Jordan Ressler First Feature Award 2020". Miami Film Festival. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  24. "News". Socrates. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  25. AdoroCinema. "Qual filme deveria representar o Brasil no Oscar 2020? (Opinião)". AdoroCinema (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  26. "The Award Winners of the 67th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg". Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg. 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
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