Chronically Unfeasible (2000)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The script is very rich, and in this I took intellectual delight. Other reviewers have mentioned poor cinematography. It feels sometimes as though it originated as a play, and in adapting to a screenplay perhaps some elements have been overlooked. Still, I loved what the writer did well: the layering of a lot of history, symbolism, and perspective, the deconstruction of many aspects of Brazilian culture and history. Using several different characters, the writer is able to compose a symphony of dark, cynical, anti-bourgeois sentiment.As a non- Brazilian, I am sure there are many things I did not understand, as there is a lot of complexity within the script and probably visual and situational representations of which I have no reference point. Yet, as someone who is interested in Brazilian culture and history, this is a piece I will definitely see again, try to absorb more from, and discuss with Brazilians who have seen it as well.

"Cronicamente Inviável/Chronically Unfeasible" is Bianchi's strongest movie. Also his best work. From script to cut, from actors to photographing, Bianchi brilliantly directs a drainage of old and open wounds of Brazilian recent History. Somewhat like in "Anna: Ot shesti do vosemnadtsati" (1993) -- classical Nikita Mikhalkov's documentary that deeply relates the end of the Soviet Empire -- Bianchi's movie performs a deep panel of his country society. Unlike "Anna", instead, it is a transversal rather than a longitudinal (timeline) cut. Both of them give the public a wonderful job of information AND opinion. If you are interested in the problems of Third World, specially Brazil, you MUST see this movie.

This is going to sound terrible, I know, but based on the Brazilian movies I have seen, the country looks like Hell on Earth. Central Station was the MOST upbeat vision (with petty criminals being murdered in front of everyone) and City of God and this film described a nation falling apart.Cronicamente Inviável looks like a comedy but it is a burning indictment of the evils done by the rich in Brazil. Rapes and exploitation seem to be the norm in the this film. Among the most disturbing images were the rich lady who gave toys to some poor kids because she loved watching the other poor street urchins beat them up and steal them, the ladies who ran over kids and then either worried about their reputations and offered no help to the victims, and a boss who rapes one of his employees and then fires him. The events are very absurd but far from funny.The movie has a very strong Communist bent, and I guess if I lived in place like that it might seem like the best solution. However, although there were episodes that talked about redistribution of the wealth and justice, the film was so jaded that it seemed to strongly imply the masses were just stupid sheep who traded off their freedom for a chance to Samba.Depressing, without any solutions and extremely sobering. Not a fun experience at all, but an important statement nevertheless.It goes without saying that this a very adult film with its themes. However, an additional warning concerning the explicit sexual nature of one scene. At one point there is a nude man contest and many of the well-endowed contestants masturbate in front of the camera in order to give themselves an edge in the judging. I didn't need to see that and I would hate to imagine kids being exposed to this.

It's been only eight days since I finally had the chance to go to the cinema and watch this movie, about which I'd already read A LOT.'Cronicamente Inviável' ('Chronically Unfeasible' in English) is a harsh punch on the face of Brazilian middle-class. The way reality is displayed in the film suggests that the role of cynicism in our society is more important that one would think.The great achievement of 'Chronically...' is showing to the world the amount of corruption, violence, racism and hatred every Brazilian citizen carries within WITHOUT trying to formulate a 'feasible' way to reconstruct the country.The film is not suitable for everyone, but if you've been through pictures like, for instance, the 'Dogma 95' series, you'll find no problem. Foreign audiences would never be able to grasp the real meaning of it, though, without the aid of some basic notions of Brazilian geography and sociology. The way Sérgio Bianchi (the director) relates cities from the Northeast (Salvador), Southeast (Rio and São Paulo, where the story takes place) and South (Curitiba), is vital for a thorough comprehension of the plot. In the same way, the knowledge of Brazilian history proves to be useful when the picture deals with the Indian and Negro issues.The ending of the film, open and symbolic, stuffs the viewer's brain with intriguing questions worth being thought about.