Heitor dos Prazeres

I must admit that I don't know almost anything about this great artist that Heitor dos Prazeres were, both an acclaimed painter with more than 300 works on his resume, and also as a musician that he also was working on the samba genre and being a founder of a samba group. One thing I do know after watching this short documentary is how eloquent, humble and magnificent he is when he talked about his art, why he loved doing what he did and why there was an important in communicating to audiences through his art.

Usually when we think about the figure of artists as complex, talkative and giving such self-importance that they become a bore. Not Heitor. He could express plenty with such simplicity and love that one feel curious about his works and try to see if everything he said in the film could be reflected.

And there's an even sad but truth moment when he reveals that sometimes he had to bow to certain conventions about his art in order to get money in order to survive, meaning he had to keep repeating patterns or create paintings that didn't appeal to him but he got paid. You can feel the pain in his voice when he mentions that, a feeling that all great artists, in some way or another has to go through in order to stay relevant or at least working with deadlines or favoring fans and potential buyers.

The film is possibly one of the last times Heitor dos Prazeres was captured on film (if ever had before) since he'd die some time later that same year. Along with his poetic way of presenting himself and why he makes art, there's also some sambas of his played along with several paintings of his.

So, here's a brilliant and unique way to meet the person behind the work. One feels easily inspired by his words, passion and commitment to the world of arts, and that's something rare to see these days. I just wished this could on for a whole hour. 7/10.