Lula, Son of Brazil: movie review
The former Brazilian president's charisma and activism are ironed into a bland testimonial.
Based on the book 鈥楲ula, Son of Brazil,鈥� by Denise Paran谩, 鈥楲ula鈥� tells the story of the Brazilian leader鈥檚 early life, before he became a political star.
New Yorker Films
鈥淟ula, Son of Brazil鈥� is proof that even charismatic political figures, in this case, Brazil鈥檚 former president, Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva, can be felled by the requirements of the standard biopic genre.
Directed by F谩bio Barreto and based on the eponymously titled book by Denise Paran谩, the film covers his life from 1945, when Lula (as he is known) was born into extreme poverty, through 1980 and his activism in the Steelworker鈥檚 Union in S茫o Paulo 鈥� long before he became Brazil鈥檚 39th president in 2003. (He left office, after two terms, in 2011.)
We see his mother Dona Lindu (Gl贸ria Pires, in the film鈥檚 only remarkable performance) raise her children single-handedly while handing down life lessons to her brood. The young Lula helps support his family shining shoes and selling fruit. He graduates from a technical school and becomes a lathe operator in an auto factory. His beautiful wife Lurdes (Cl茅o Pires) dies in childbirth, along with his son. He slowly becomes politicized at the factory, as Barreto injects occasional newsreel flashes of militant unrest in the country.
Because the context of Lula鈥檚 political transformation is skimped, his activism seems generic. So does the performance of Rui Ricardo Diaz as the adult Lula. He is positioned as a man destined for greatness, even though his charisma has to be taken for granted. In fact, just about everything in this film has to be taken for granted. The film is more testimonial than drama. Grade: C- (Unrated)