I usually find it to be the case that when a movie set in a time and place, which I know little about, sparks my interest to learn more about the events that unfolded, it means I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. In a time when a country was being torn in two halves by a political revolution, ultimately it was two men who helped mend it together, even if only for a short period of time. Brazil 1970, Communism is spreading and the government is trying to quell the rebellion. Young intellectuals filled with Marxist and socialist ideas attempt to spread their philosophies in secret to the masses. But among all the political upheaval and civil strife the country manages to join together to shout GOAL! As Pele, and Tostao send ball after ball sailing against the back of the net in an attempt to write history and win the Fifa World Cup. This serves as the backdrop for the coming of age tale of Mauro, a young boy, abandoned by his parents, left to live with a grandfather who has recently passed away.
It is simply amazing that such a coming of age story, set in the right time and place, can touch on so many different issues, from religion, to race, and politics. I often found myself intrigued by the cultural and social implications of interactions such as the football match between the Italians and Jews, or even between Mauro, Shlomo (Mauro's grandfather's Jewish next door neighbor whom he ends up living with) and his companions. However it wasn't so much the historical backdrop that captivated me throughout the movie as much as it was my identification with Mauro struggling to do things for himself for the first time. Watching Mauro make eggs took me back to a time when my grandmother watched from the kitchen table as I fumbled around the kitchen, peeling eggshells from the yolk and stubbornly trying to turn the gas on the stove in the wrong direction. Without these scenes of Mauro, as an adult trapped in a child’s body, I doubt if I would have had any investment at all in the surrounding political landscape.
While not visually stunning, the movie kept me thinking throughout. The boys’ crush on Irene remarkably resembled the way in which all the boys in my 4th grade class followed around Ms. Blue, the substitute teacher, like a dog does a treat. The shouts, cheers, and fireworks that went off every time Brazil scored a goal made me wish America had a national sport such as football to bring the country together in a time such as now when we seem so divided. And Mauro's apprehension to accept help from anyone new after his parents abandon him reminded me of my own stubbornness as a child growing up. The Italian man, who knows Mauro's father, at one point says "all our parents go on vacation at some point," we all have that year where for whatever reason we are forced to grow and mature past a point that we are ready for and it is this universal story that I think resonates so well.
"In football everyone is allowed mistakes except the goalkeeper. They're different from other players. They spend their whole lives standing there alone, expecting the worst"
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http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4186939/The.Year.My.Parents.Went.On.Vacation.2006.DVDRip.XviD-WRD
4 out of 5
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