X
- 2012
- R
- Screen Media Films
- 1 h 56 m
- 2012
- R
- Screen Media Films
- 1 h 56 m
Summary Rodrigo Santoro biography of the tragic life of one of Brazil's greatest soccer players from the 1940s, Heleno de Freitas.
Directed By: José Henrique Fonseca
- 2012
- R
- Screen Media Films
- 1 h 56 m
- 2012
- R
- Screen Media Films
- 1 h 56 m
Heleno
52
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Watch
Summary Rodrigo Santoro biography of the tragic life of one of Brazil's greatest soccer players from the 1940s, Heleno de Freitas.
Directed By: José Henrique Fonseca
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
52
38% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
38% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
25% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
52
38% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
38% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
25% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Rodrigo Santoro (Paulo on Lost, Xerxes in 300, and even better, Raúl Castro in Che) is mighty matinee-idol charismatic himself in the title role, alternating between swaggering lady-killer and ravaged victim of self-destruction.
That's not to say Heleno, with its magnetic energy, sensual re-creation of 1940s and '50s Brazil and bold storytelling lacks punch; the movie is nothing if not watchable. But, by presenting more surface than depth to De Freitas' womanizing, arrogance and volatility (an implied closeness to his unseen mother is about as far as the film digs), it largely feels like an arm's length effort.
Though powerfully acted and dazzlingly shot (by Walter Carvalho) in heavenly black and white, Heleno is a feverish opera that, like its doomed antihero, loses vitality much too soon.
The film hints at a kicky, impressionistic style that director José Henrique Fonseca never effectively employs to actually communicate Heleno de Freitas's demons.
You're stuck daydreaming about a far, far better movie.
What you get instead of soccer is almost two hours of late-stage syphilis.
From its flash-forward framing sequence to its glossy black and white images, the film emulates "Raging Bull" in nearly every particular, while failing to capture even a sliver of that tortured-soul sports-movie's insight or visceral power.
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Agência Nacional do Cinema (ANCINE),
BNDES,
BR Petrobrás,
Downtown Filmes,
FINEP,
Goritzia Filmes,
RT Features,
Zola Filmes
Release Date Dec 7, 2012
Duration 1 h 56 m
Rating R
Tagline Passion. Decadence. Destruction.
Awards
Cinema Brazil Grand Prize
• 4 Wins & 9 Nominations
Prêmio Guarani
• 4 Wins & 7 Nominations
Prêmio Contigo Cinema, Brazil
• 1 Win & 7 Nominations
