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Pacarrete, an old, crazy ballet dancer from Russas, Brazil, just wants to keep her dreams alive.

A delicate film, with once more remarkable performance by Marcelia Cartaxo, that begins like a comedy about the crazy woman in a little country village who once had been a ballerina, but as the movie advances turns out to be a sad drama on an ageing person who accumulates frustrations and misses everything she had or dreamt about.

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Pacarrete

Machado de Assis had already shown with O Alienista that the social dimension of madness pursued by Simão Bacamarte, the protagonist of the novel, is of an immeasurable complexity leaving us with a constant doubt about who is mad and, if all are, it is concluded that normality dwells in madness, being crazy who is normal. The simple fact of Pacarrete referring me to a literary classic of such quality already arouses a deep affection for the film, but luckily for me the film is authentic and proposes debates as relevant as those that Machado de Assis proposed more than 130 years ago. The plot takes place in the city of Russas where a former dance teacher named Pacarrete (Marcélia Cartaxo) tries to perform a ballet performance in celebration of the city&#39;s centenary, but for that she needs authorization from the city council that does not think that this type of presentation attracts the interest of none of the inhabitants of the small municipality in the interior of Ceará. Considered by the overwhelming majority of her neighbors to be crazy, Pacarrete reveals a very strong personality in the way she deals with all the situations she faces, never failing to hide her nostalgia, for example, since at the expense of innovations the protagonist chooses to preserve VHS tapes, read newspapers, sew her clothes, etc. Despite not showing interest in the suspicious looks of her neighbors, Pacarrete is extremely hostile when she emerges from a situation that makes her ashamed, showing herself as a wild woman who despises socially acceptable behavior patterns. And it is precisely in this sincerity in the way of dealing with its protagonist that the film has its greatest merit, since it does not idealize its characters and makes it very clear that it is not easy to get attached to Pacarrete due to the aggressive way in which she deals with both , but at the same time being impossible not to admire her affectionate way towards those she is fond of, as is the case of Miguel (João Miguel) one of the few who treats her well, regardless of the woman&#39;s mental state. Bearing in mind that at a certain moment the film offers us precisely the role that was expected of Pacarrete when she enters a depressed state thanks to an extremely sad event. These are the most painful minutes of the whole projection, since all we want is to find that woman who, despite the defects, brought us so much joy. All of these aspects are merits of the script and direction of Allan Deberton who managed to build a character that continues to confront our thoughts even after the final credits. Obviously, the experience borrowed by our eternal Brazilian star Marcélia Cartaxo in a fantastic performance, also contributed to the final quality of the work. The city of Russas definitely missed a presentation that would have been fantastic to see, as Pacarrete is a historical heritage of that municipality.

User reviews

Pacarrete

Delicate comedy-drama

A great woman!!!!

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