THE MAN OF THE YEAR/ O HOMEM DO ANO
Brazil, 2002, 104 minutes, Colour.
Murilo Benicio, Claudia Abreu.
Directed by Jose Henrique Fonseca.
During 2002, City of God was a success all around the world. A Brazilian feature, it highlighted life in the barrios of Rio de Janeiro. It took the audiences back to the 60s and 70s, focusing on the young boys who followed their older brothers and fathers into a life of gangs and crime. It was a frightening film, showing young children with an urge to violence, exercising manipulation and shrewdness. With Man of the Year, we are again in Rio de Janeiro. This time we are in the mainstream, not an affluent area, but people who live ordinary lives, own ordinary stores and do ordinary jobs - but connected with some of the wealthy, who want to control the populace with right-wing authoritarian ideas, as well as to corrupt police.
The film tells the story, or the character tells the story himself, of how, after losing a bet, he has his hair dyed blond. This leads to a confrontation in a bar and his vendetta the next day, shooting dead the man who insulted him. Instead of the police coming to arrest him, or giving himself up as he thought he should, he becomes the area hero for having rid the area of an obnoxious criminal. Eventually, he
is asked to do another killing, this multiplies and he becomes a professional killer, aided by his friends who operate a garage remaking cars illegally. He also falls in love with the woman who changed his hair colour, she becomes pregnant, but, according to the pet store owner for whom he works, once married, the excitement falls out of the marriage. He also takes in, at first unwillingly, the young girl who was living with the man that he murdered.
As the film progresses, it becomes more disturbing. The young man gradually assumes the persona of the killer, wanting contracts, getting finance, becoming more and more amoral, if not immoral. However, the ending is not easy and there is an escalation of violence. The film ends with all kinds of possibilities.
Very well acted, realistically shot in Rio, the film is a mixture of serious comment on society in Rio as well as having a great deal of black comedy. In this it is quite unique entertainment.
