"Jaime (1999)", a masterpiece of the Portuguese
cinema, is a must-see film for every fan of the coming-of-age genre. Jaime is a 13-year-old kid who lives in a suburban area in Oporto, Portugal, with his mother, her
boyfriend, and his two younger sisters. The years are difficult, and many children are forced to labor
by their parents in order to contribute to the family budget across the country. Although child labor is
prohibited in the country, most families are on the verge of bankruptcy and are forced to resort to
desperate tactics. Businesses are also prepared to take in and exploit children since they may demand as
much as adult workers while paying lower wages and paying no taxes to the government. Jaime lives with
his mother because his parents are divorced, but no one is pressuring him to work, unlike some of his
classmates. Despite this, he sneaks out each night to work at a nearby bakery and earn money in the
hopes of bettering his life and reuniting with his mother and father.
Language: Portuguese. Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese.
8/10/21
Pelle der Eroberer 1986 - Pelle the Conqueror German movie
The German version of the film "Pelle der Eroberer (1986)" has
the same plot as the more widely known Swedish version.
Late 19th century, a boat filled with
Swedish immigrants’ docks on the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are the father and his little
son Pelle, who moved to Denmark so that the father could find work. After some time after wandering,
the father succeeds to get work on a large farm, but the attitude towards hired workers leaves much
to be desired. However, no one working there wants to give up their dream of finding a better life
than the life they left behind in Sweden.
With English subtitles.
“My sweet orange tree” 1970 movie – “O Meu Pé de Laranja Lima” Brazilian movie
The Brazilian movie “O MEU PÉ DE LARANJA LIMA” (1970) is about Zezé - a poor six-year-old boy, intelligent, sensitive, and needy. He is a sad, toy-less child who, one day, in one of his backyard games, ends up making a lime orange tree his greatest confidant. Lacking an affection, he doesn't find it in his family – no one has much patience for him. The devilish little boy goes out on the streets to do a thousand mischief. He learns everything himself; he is the “discoverer of things”. When the family moves into a house where are lots of trees in the yard, each brother chooses one for himself – one gets the mango tree, another gets the tamarind tree, and so on. Zezé is left with a small lime orange tree. However, this tree is so friendly that they talk a lot and even play together. Zezé invents for himself a fantasy world in which the great confidant is Minguinho, the lime orange tree.
This film is the first adaptation of the great book “MEU PÉ DE LARANJA LIMA” about childhood, written by José Mauro de Vasconcelos and published in 1968, just two years before the movie was created. It seems that this movie is very true to the novel, which is generally positive. Children are really cute. The end is indeed moving.
Language – Portuguese, subtitles - English, Spanish, Russian.
8/1/21
Ya no puede caminar - Can't Walk Anymore (2001) short film
Language - Spanish, subtitles - English, Spanish, French