One of the short listed foreign films that didn't get an Oscar nom opened here today. I caught it in Palm Springs. Very nice film. 12 year old boy whose parents have to go underground gets dumped at his Jewish grandfather's apartment. However, his grandfather died just before he got there. He's cared for by a neighbor and by the community.

Set in 1970 Brazil under military dictatorship, and during the year Brazil was hoping to win it's 3rd World Cup. As Kenneth Turan says: If you haven't seen a group of bearded Orthodox Jews dance with joy at a Pelé goal, you've seriously missed out.

My review

I liked the film as well. A warm and real look at a diverse community, and a touching look at the loneliness that a child feels when he is separated from his parents and is struggling to fit into an unfamiliar neighborhood. The contrasts were striking between the joy of the community in watching the soccer matches, and the urban landscape stifled by totalitarian government oppression.

And even through glimpses on small black and white TVs, Pele's moves on the soccer field were pretty sweet.