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Country: Brazil
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Language and subtitle information: In Portuguese; optional English, Spanish and French subtitles
Format: DVD
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5 Comments
on “O que é isso, companheiro? / Four days in September”
5 Comments on “O que é isso, companheiro? / Four days in September”
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What’s this, Partner? is a film about the kidnapping of an American ambassador in 1969, based on the memoir written by one of the captors. This film is very interesting because it illustrates the Brazilian military dictatorship through the eyes of political activists from the perspective of one of the actual participants in the event. The sympathetic nature of this film shows the politics of a Latin American country under the influence of an oppressive government. Both sides of this kidnapping recognize the tragedy and frustration experienced under the regime, as Paulo (based on the author of the memoir), befriends the ambassador and begins to understand the complexity of international politics. This film was good because of the factual basis, but was a little bit quirky and over dramatized at times.
This films unfolds over an escalating tension between a Brazilian activist group and the militaries of the Military Dictatorship in 1969 Brazil. Attempting to garner public and media attention, the activist group kidnaps the U.S ambassador. The captors build an ambiguous relationship with the ambassador and leaves the viewer at the edge of his/her seat with the constant possibility of torture or death.
O que é isso companheiro recounts the kidnapping of a United States ambassador to Brazil by the revolutionary group MR-8 in 1969. Topics addressed are the oppression brought about the military dictatorship during the time, and the concerns voiced by opponents to the dictatorship. Tense throughout its entirety, this thriller leaves the audience constantly in question of whether the ambassador will live to see his freedom.
O Que É Isso, Companheiro is an exciting, interesting, and historically educative film that I would recommend to anyone interested in Brazil’s military dictatorship. Barreto allowed me to feel the struggle of the activists through their emotions and moral values. He shows that they are also humans beings and normal people, that they can also feel pain, sadness, and even fear, and that they can also love and be loved.
“O Que é Isso, Companheiro” is an action-ridden film rooted in the historical truths of Brazil’s military dictatorship. This film complicates the issues of kidnapping and torture, by introducing the more human elements of empathy and morality. The film’s director really made me question the truths behind historical events that are taught out of context, like the Brazilian dictatorship’s cruel, dehumanizing regime. Through this film we learn that we must always consider the limitations of the human element and logic, our emotions, whenever we analyze history. Watch this film if you’re looking for an interesting twist on depicting the dictatorship.