Estômago: A Gastronomic Story (2007)

the audience applauded

Excellent but underrated film

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

overall, I liked this film. the parallel scenes boost the suspense , and especially the scenes in jail -the cell-,and mostly Raimundo's inmates,-their facial characteristics- were much superb. On top of this, the gentle music that kicked in with the sight of food was quite amusing and caused laughter.Like many other Latin American movies,much attention was given to the narrow pathways which surround the area.The ending was quite expected,but the way the ending happened, was the contrary, where,admittedly,I was left with a bitter sweet taste. BUT the one and only who made the movie , is Joao Miguel. the staggering expressions, the alterations of his feelings, the movement of his body, everything, made his performance superior. 7/10

A poor Brazilian guy (cliché) from the northeast(cliché) comes to southeast (cliché) to get something and be someone(cliché). He is so silly that does dumb things and get in trouble (cliché). Its a great movie (wow, not a cliché).I'm not complaining. The movie is really really fun. Its well written and you get into the story and the main character. I've just forgot about all the clichés and watched until I discovered why he was arrest (as you know in the first second of the movie).The only thumb down is about the others characters. Seems like they've put all the efforts on the main and forgot about make them look real or possible.

"Estômago" is director Marcos Jorge's second feature film, but the first to be released (his feature debut, "Corpos Celestes", still awaits distribution). It's based on Lusa Silvestre's short story "Presos pelo Estômago" and tells the story of Raimundo Nonato, a destitute Northeast peasant who migrates to São Paulo and discovers that his talent for cooking may guarantee his survival in the big town and open doors to power and sex, but also crime. The film unfolds in two parallel, cross-cutting narratives (linear story-telling is a "disease" to be avoided in 2000s cinema, it seems): 1) Nonato's rise from underdog aid in a cheap, fly-infested snack joint, exploited by sweaty boss Zulmiro, to becoming the protégé of sophisticated Italian-cuisine chef Giovanni, meanwhile falling in love with voluptuous and voracious prostitute Iria; and 2) Nonato's life in prison (we only know why he got there in the end of the movie), trying to learn the codes, rules and peculiar hierarchy of jail life, as he struggles for survival and "social-climbing" through his cooking talents.There are countless influences/references at play here, from "La Grande Bouffe" to "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover", from "Jamón Jamón" and "Tampopo" to "Babette's Feast". But the flavor of "Estômago" is essentially Brazilian, thanks to main character Nonato. He escapes from being a caricature (the naive, ignorant, good-natured, not very bright Northeast hick) solely through the irresistible empathy, perfect comedy-timing, quick wit and stray dog quality of João Miguel's performance (he won the Best Actor award in Rio's 2007 International Film Festival for this role). He's got one of those endlessly watchable faces: we can follow his every little thought, and as fast as he wishes us to. He makes the film stand firmly on track even when the direction strays through lull spots, hesitations and contrivances, and he delivers his burger-quality lines as if they were caviar. In barely 3 years and a half-dozen films, João Miguel proves to be one of the most likable and resourceful actors working in Brazilian movies right now.You can tell João Miguel's towering contribution to the success of "Estômago" if you consider how everything else in the movie is just average: the script tries too hard to be smart and squeeze the laughs out of the so-so jokes. There are overlong, repetitive scenes, and most of the actors are directed to play types, not characters -- Babu Santana once again does his trademark angry-bulldog gangsta role; Fabiula Nascimento is shamelessly exploited for her opulent Fellinian body rather than her acting talents; Carlo Briani (as Giovanni) and Zeca Cenovicz (as Zulmiro) give stagy performances. Some other aspects are rather annoying, such as the totally misconceived Morricone- inspired music by Giovanni Venosta ("Pani e Tulipani"); the terribly fake hookers (they're the sweetest, happiest street whores ever); the phony prison inmates (it's got to be the whitest- populated prison in Brazil); and the idiosyncrasies involving "l'art de la cuisine" -- it's hard to believe that a sophisticated Italian chef would find Nonato's salty and cholesterol- friendly cooking (typical of Northeast Brazil) so sublime, or that Nonato could "leap" from being an expert in greasy Brazilian snacks like "coxinhas" and "pastéis" to master the complexities of correctly cooking meat and pork by being a trainee in a pasta-specialty restaurant.* SPOILER * But most annoying of all is the denouement. Striving for a "witty ending", the director and the writers withhold important changes that should have been in process in Nonato's character just for the sake of taking us by surprise; nevertheless, it's a cliché, pseudo-smart ending. If the goal was to tell a story about how a bon sauvage is corrupted by society and ends up learning to be a smart-ass by using the same weapons as his oppressors, the preparation and transformation in Nonato and the arc in João Miguel's acting are missing (whose fault is that? The actor's, the script's, the director's?). As it is, the resolution feels blunt and over-reaching, like an under-baked, artificially colorized dessert that somewhat spoils the honest, simple, home-made meal that came before it. * END OF SPOILER *Anyhow, "Estômago" certainly deserves to be seen: its communication with the audience is evident, it has truly funny moments, and João Miguel's winning performance is the very special ingredient that makes the recipe irresistibly tasty.

I saw this movie on the international film festival of Rotterdam, where it was rated 2nd on the audience price. Beautiful small and funny film, which you must see with a full stomach. A Brazilian / Italian co - production made with eye for detail, intelligent humor and some very funny twists, which seem to be very logical at the end of the movie. Two hours of entertainment, acted very well by all actors and a movie which will definitely find his way in all the festivals to become a major hit worldwide. I don't want to get into the story, it's one of those films who helps you to escape from the real world for a small two hours and from which you always thinks, why do i not see more movies like this? I really recommend this movie to an large audience. So go see this one, in a theater near by you or after dinner with your partner or some best friends.