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Lulli (2021)
Lulli (2021) is a Brazilian comedy. It is about a young medical student, Lulli, getting the power to hear people’s inner thoughts – this gives her an advantage in her love life and also complicates it. This was a feel-good film that I liked – the second half was a bit dull. It is available on Netflix and gets a Raw rating. As Lulli, Larissa Manoela comes out as a bubbly girl with aspirations and love. For the Tamil audience, the story will remind them of a comedy skit of Actor Vivek, but this Portuguese comedy handles it differently. Lulli’s mother is shown cooking cakes and pastries that looked mouth-watering.…
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Carnaval (2021)
Carnaval (2021) is a Brazilian film about four female friends, who travel to Salvador, Bahia for Carnival celebrations. There they meet interesting characters and how it changes their life is the story. This is a typical drink-dance-kiss rom-com and was highly predictable. Yet, it gets a mangoidiots rating of ‘Raw’, thanks to the breathtaking beauty of the city and the pictures of carnival events. Nina (played by Giovana Cordeiro) is an upcoming influencer on Instagram. After a breakup, she invites her three friends for a week away to experience “Carnival” which will be paid for by a sponsor. In the beginning, Nina is obsessed with posting picture-perfect photos in order…
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Double Dad (2021)
Double Dad (2021) is a Portuguese youth comedy film from Brazil that was loveable. It is available on Netflix. Tracing the journey of a young girl living in a remote commune who comes to Rio de Janeiro in search of her biological father, the film was predictable throughout, yet I liked it. It gets a mangoidiots rating of Ripe for being a feel-good film that was unostentatious. Vicenza is living with her single mother in a nature commune. As soon as Vicenza turns eighteen her mother goes on a spiritual trip to India, and after seeing a hidden photo of a man named Paco in an embrace with her mother,…
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Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1976)
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1976) is one of the most successful (Portuguese) films in Brazil, which got nominated to Golden Globes as well. The film happens in the 1940s, and it follows Dona Flor, her first husband who dies prematurely, and her second marriage. It is available on the Kanopy streaming service and gets a MangoIdiots rating of “Ripe”. Dona Flor is from a middle-class family who is married to Vadinho, a jobless, flamboyant, alcoholic, gambler, and womanizer. Though Vadinho beats Dona for money and embarrasses her socially, she loves Vadinho as he was a great lover. Unfortunately, Vadinho drops dead during a street carnival turning Dona a…