Better Late Then Never

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

This film cannot be seen as a good piece of film as it is. Out of context, it has no special meaning besides the point it constantly tries to make of the clichés we have heard over and over again. That is, gay men taking drugs, having sex with everyone they see and being self-destructive. As it usually happens with Brazilian cinema, this movie doesn't try to break away from the national social basis and only repeats all the beliefs the citizens and foreigners have of the country and its own people. A very sad thing to do, a very bad message to pass. I watched this film remembering my mother telling me how horrible it is when people start smoking joints and end up dying of aids for sharing needles and being promiscuous. That's what everyone goes around saying in Brazil, in sensationalist terms, and this is how this film is presented. It is a true pity that such a good composer and singer had to be pictured in such horrible colours. And worst still that Brazil hasn't learnt how to do something new that will challenge the people to expand their way of thinking into new areas.

I was very interested in watching Cazuza. His story is well-known by most of the Brazilians that lived during the 80s rock moment. But Cazuza himself was not really explained in the movie. It was based in the book of Lucinha Araujo, Cazuza's mother, and it seems that she tried to convince herself and the others that she was a good mother and he was a good son. If you are a parent, you can take you own conclusion about this. All the self-destructive behavior of Cazuza doesn't fix in this scenario.From where it came from? For his rebellion with the homophobic world? Or it was a consequence of the inexistence of limits or punishments in a high-class Brazilian family? For who knows the story, the movie looks like a poor documentary. If Cazuza is considered the real Brazilian poet of the 80s, he deserved a better explanation.

Not being a Cazuza fan, I was remarkably impressed with how good, inspiring, and unforgettable this movie proved to be.Some may be put off by the narrative style, which employs a significant amount of freedom in its composition. We aren't treated to a normal dramatic progression, instead being given specific segments of time covering Cazuza's adventures, relationships, dreams and hardships, as if we were looking at a picture book. This brings a sense of poetry, liveliness and urgency to the picture, even if it may displease moviegoers used to Hollywood film-making.The Cinematography - as the narrative style - is urgent, free-floating, using only hand-held cameras. To put it quite simply, the picture perfectly captures the poetry of being young, of hoping for better days, of yearning to feel alive and connect with people. Daniel de Oliveira's performance is easily one of the best I've seen this decade, and I hope he picks up many awards around the globe with his work - both extremely convincing and captivating. He's one of your great young actors, and I hope to see him in many more pictures.Thankfully, this is a picture that can be enjoyed by any Brazilian, as it is a testimony of a great period of our culture. This film is not only about Cazuza - is about any kid out there with dreams in his heart and the courage to try and go some good in this world.Congratulations to Carvalho, Werneck, Lucinha and co. for creating one of the Best Brazilian films in recent memory.Our idols cannot - and will not - be forgotten.

The impression I had on the first hour of the movie was that it was more like a scrapbook of some memorable events in Cazuza's life rather than a biography. The scenes have no connection, it seems they're only there for you to know what happened. It looks like a story told by a fan who collects news about him. There is no drama, nothing to expect, no plot at all.The last 30 minutes aren't really a change, but it's a more dense part, because of the discovery of the disease that is slowly killing him.The only things that save the movie are the performance of Daniel de Oliveira, not only on stage but also off, and of course the songs and poetry of Cazuza.