Film ReviewsPaulo Coelho's Best Story: one big, clichéOct 15, 2015 Anchorage Press
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Paulo Coelho de Souza was born to an upper-middle class family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1947. He's a prolific writer whose works have been translated into 80 languages and he's one of the bestselling writers in the world. But, for critics, Coelho is a master of the obvious, with simplistic, new-age advice that offers formulaic how-to for loose spirituality and watered-down philosophy. For fans, Coelho's writing is a direct and accessible approach that provides advice they can relate to, meditate on, and follow at their own convenience.
Regardless of where viewers as readers fall on the spectrum of Coelho as a writer, this is not a book review, it's a review of the film, Paulo Coelho's Best Story (the original title is Não Pare na Pista: A Melhor História de Paulo Coelho, which translates from the Portuguese to "Don't Stop the Track: the Best Story of Paulo Coelho"). The Spanish production was brought to fruition by Director Daniel Augusto, who has directed a dozen or so short films and documentaries, Paulo Coelho's Best Story is perhaps his first feature length film. The film was written by Carolina Kotscho, and stars Ravel Andrade and Júlio Andrade as the young and old Coelho, respectively. The casting is well-rounded and includes Paz Vega as Luiza (first wife), Fabiula Nascimento as Lygia Souza (Coelho's mother), and Enrique Díaz as Paulo's father, Pedro.
Unfortunately, Paulo Coelho's Best Story runs one hour and 52 minutes, and while the pace is good, that's one hour and 52 minutes the viewers will never recover. If viewers take Augusto's fantasy about Coelho as true, they may walk away thinking that Coelho's life and career are one big cliché. The events that unfold are laden with stereotypes about writers and artists and their tormented souls. The stories told that benchmark Coelho's writing style and direction suggest that none of his ideas are his own, that he relies on his wife, his friends, mentors and even Mr. Spock (Yes, Star Trek) for the crucial tenets of his beliefs.
The young Coelho was institutionalized and while this is crucial to his evolution and subsequent journeys, it's hard to be sympathetic because the film portrays the young writer more as a spoilt teenager than a rebel. Writers write; but the young Coelho is incapable of writing using pen and paper and so his angst comes from his daddy not buying him a typewriter. The Coelho portrayed in the film is too preoccupied with himself, and so in love with the idea of being great that he takes advantage of his position in the class system and the finances of his first wife to avoid work.
Historical events that drove the likes of Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil to flee from Brazil for political reasons are glossed over. Who knows if Coelho's fantastical way of life was really true to the degree the film portrays; but it's not doing the writer any favors.
The elements of Paulo Coelho's Best Story that do work are the cinematography, the music, and the supporting roles. Cinematographer Jacob Solitrenick brings Rio de Janeiro alive through the focus on details of the time, evoking the moist and salty air, prickly heat and cool breezes. Combined with the music, the cinematography is delightful.
The acting in general is not bad-especially the artistry brought to the screen by Paz Vega and Enrique Díaz. In fact the best part of the film is a short scene of Pedro Coelho driving down a desolate street listening to a song on the radio about himself. The song of course, is written by his son, and through it, father and son, find a moment of understanding and tenderness that brings Pedro to tears. This scene has a kernel of honesty that the rest of the film lacks.
Films about famous people, or biopics, are difficult to pull off and serve different functions. They can introduce an audience to a person and his or her achievements in a way that awakens curiosity about their work. Biopics can also satisfy an already-established fan base because it gives the fans a better understanding of the subjects work; or, they can be more about the writer's and director's fantasy about a subject than about the subject's reality. Paulo Coelho's Best Story is the latter, it while it may also satisfy existing fans' curiosity, it won't earn new fans for the writer or his work.
Paulo Coelho's Best Story shows on Mon., Oct. 19 at 7:40 p.m. at Bear Tooth
Regardless of where viewers as readers fall on the spectrum of Coelho as a writer, this is not a book review, it's a review of the film, Paulo Coelho's Best Story (the original title is Não Pare na Pista: A Melhor História de Paulo Coelho, which translates from the Portuguese to "Don't Stop the Track: the Best Story of Paulo Coelho"). The Spanish production was brought to fruition by Director Daniel Augusto, who has directed a dozen or so short films and documentaries, Paulo Coelho's Best Story is perhaps his first feature length film. The film was written by Carolina Kotscho, and stars Ravel Andrade and Júlio Andrade as the young and old Coelho, respectively. The casting is well-rounded and includes Paz Vega as Luiza (first wife), Fabiula Nascimento as Lygia Souza (Coelho's mother), and Enrique Díaz as Paulo's father, Pedro.
Unfortunately, Paulo Coelho's Best Story runs one hour and 52 minutes, and while the pace is good, that's one hour and 52 minutes the viewers will never recover. If viewers take Augusto's fantasy about Coelho as true, they may walk away thinking that Coelho's life and career are one big cliché. The events that unfold are laden with stereotypes about writers and artists and their tormented souls. The stories told that benchmark Coelho's writing style and direction suggest that none of his ideas are his own, that he relies on his wife, his friends, mentors and even Mr. Spock (Yes, Star Trek) for the crucial tenets of his beliefs.
The young Coelho was institutionalized and while this is crucial to his evolution and subsequent journeys, it's hard to be sympathetic because the film portrays the young writer more as a spoilt teenager than a rebel. Writers write; but the young Coelho is incapable of writing using pen and paper and so his angst comes from his daddy not buying him a typewriter. The Coelho portrayed in the film is too preoccupied with himself, and so in love with the idea of being great that he takes advantage of his position in the class system and the finances of his first wife to avoid work.
Historical events that drove the likes of Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil to flee from Brazil for political reasons are glossed over. Who knows if Coelho's fantastical way of life was really true to the degree the film portrays; but it's not doing the writer any favors.
The elements of Paulo Coelho's Best Story that do work are the cinematography, the music, and the supporting roles. Cinematographer Jacob Solitrenick brings Rio de Janeiro alive through the focus on details of the time, evoking the moist and salty air, prickly heat and cool breezes. Combined with the music, the cinematography is delightful.
The acting in general is not bad-especially the artistry brought to the screen by Paz Vega and Enrique Díaz. In fact the best part of the film is a short scene of Pedro Coelho driving down a desolate street listening to a song on the radio about himself. The song of course, is written by his son, and through it, father and son, find a moment of understanding and tenderness that brings Pedro to tears. This scene has a kernel of honesty that the rest of the film lacks.
Films about famous people, or biopics, are difficult to pull off and serve different functions. They can introduce an audience to a person and his or her achievements in a way that awakens curiosity about their work. Biopics can also satisfy an already-established fan base because it gives the fans a better understanding of the subjects work; or, they can be more about the writer's and director's fantasy about a subject than about the subject's reality. Paulo Coelho's Best Story is the latter, it while it may also satisfy existing fans' curiosity, it won't earn new fans for the writer or his work.
Paulo Coelho's Best Story shows on Mon., Oct. 19 at 7:40 p.m. at Bear Tooth