A Dog's Will (2000)
1h 44m | PG-13
The lively João Grilo and the sly Chicó are poor guys living in the hinterland who cheat a bunch of people in a small town in Northeastern Brazil. When they die, they have to be judged by Christ, the Devil and the Virgin Mary before they are admitted to paradise.
Director: Guel Arraes
Studio: Lereby Produções
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Video: 720p
Cast
Matheus Nachtergaele
as João Grilo
Selton Mello
as Chicó
Rogério Cardoso
as Padre João
Denise Fraga
as Dora
Diogo Vilela
as Eurico
Luís Melo
as Diabo
Reviews
This film is deeply steeped in Brazilian culture, which may make it inaccessible to some. It's based on a play by Ariano Suassuna, who made his life's mission to preserve Brazilian culture. If you're put off by the surrealistic religion scenes, keep in mind that this spiritualism was still firmly anchored in Brazil in 2000, along with the mash-up of African beliefs - candomblé. I loved the Laurel-and-Hardy style of comedy. The film was not short on laughs. The actors' comedic timing is spot on. The direction is totally in the style of the 20th century comedic soaps (novelas), which were (and maybe still are) wildly popular there.