oscar jubis
06-11-2006, 03:31 AM
Beto Brant, a Brazilian director whose previous directorial efforts are violent crime dramas, branches out with the poetic, experimental Delicate Crime. Antonio, an intellectual critic, is depicted attending theatrical performances and subsequently composing reviews back at his smartly furnished apartment. At a cafe one night, he befriends Ines, a woman sitting at another table. It's only when they get up to go to her place that Antonio realizes she's disabled, but says nothing to that effect. Antonio learns Ines' place is actually a studio belonging to Jose, an artist in late middle-age. At Ines' invitation, Antonio attends an exhibition of Jose's paintings, most of which involve Ines and Jose nude, in erotic poses. These reveal that the beautiful young woman had one leg amputated at the hip.
Crime Delicado digresses at this juncture to include a combative discussion between our critic and an actress, in which they seemingly exchange a sexual favor for positive press. Magically, Antonio suddenly finds himself not at his pad, but on stage and embarrassed in front of a theatre audience that mocks him. The tables have been turned. Brant returns to the main plot of the film, where we find Antonio obsessed with Ines and frustrated at his inability to discern the nature of her relationship with Jose. Late one night, he insinuates himself into her apartment, then penetrates her without her consent. This is the crime alluded in the title.
Crime Delicado switches to black & white for three courtroom scenes. In the first one, Antonio is informed Ines has pressed charges against him. The next two scenes are depositions, their separate versions of the events of that night. In another scene late in the film, Jose (played by painter Felipe Ehrenberg) is seen posing in the nude with Ines as he actually creates one of the paintings we saw in completed form at the exhibit. This scene recalls Jacques Rivette's masterful La Belle Noiseuse. Subsequently, Jose faces the camera to discuss his creative process and to ponder the relationship between model and artist.
Crime Delicado was lensed by the great Walter Carvahlo, the cinematographer responsible for crafting beautiful images in many of the best recent films from Brasil: Central Station, Lavoura Arcaica, O Veneno da Madrugada, Madame Sata, and Carandiru. The consistently inventive Delicate Crime closes on a sublime note: a long shot of a gallery wall where Jose's paintings are hanging. Ines, played by the mesmerizing Lilian Taulblib, enters from the right, removes the clothing that hides her disability, unstraps her prosthetic leg and tosses it on the floor before exiting proudly. Crime Delicado closed the 10th Brazilian Film Festival in Miami last night. The festival will now travel to New York City where filmgoers will have the rare opportunity to enjoy a most provocative and accomplished film.
Crime Delicado digresses at this juncture to include a combative discussion between our critic and an actress, in which they seemingly exchange a sexual favor for positive press. Magically, Antonio suddenly finds himself not at his pad, but on stage and embarrassed in front of a theatre audience that mocks him. The tables have been turned. Brant returns to the main plot of the film, where we find Antonio obsessed with Ines and frustrated at his inability to discern the nature of her relationship with Jose. Late one night, he insinuates himself into her apartment, then penetrates her without her consent. This is the crime alluded in the title.
Crime Delicado switches to black & white for three courtroom scenes. In the first one, Antonio is informed Ines has pressed charges against him. The next two scenes are depositions, their separate versions of the events of that night. In another scene late in the film, Jose (played by painter Felipe Ehrenberg) is seen posing in the nude with Ines as he actually creates one of the paintings we saw in completed form at the exhibit. This scene recalls Jacques Rivette's masterful La Belle Noiseuse. Subsequently, Jose faces the camera to discuss his creative process and to ponder the relationship between model and artist.
Crime Delicado was lensed by the great Walter Carvahlo, the cinematographer responsible for crafting beautiful images in many of the best recent films from Brasil: Central Station, Lavoura Arcaica, O Veneno da Madrugada, Madame Sata, and Carandiru. The consistently inventive Delicate Crime closes on a sublime note: a long shot of a gallery wall where Jose's paintings are hanging. Ines, played by the mesmerizing Lilian Taulblib, enters from the right, removes the clothing that hides her disability, unstraps her prosthetic leg and tosses it on the floor before exiting proudly. Crime Delicado closed the 10th Brazilian Film Festival in Miami last night. The festival will now travel to New York City where filmgoers will have the rare opportunity to enjoy a most provocative and accomplished film.