This is How Movies Should Be Made

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

BUT I have to agree with the critic who was disappointed that it ended up coming across as politically correct revisionism applied to Brazil's history. The images were simple but effective and the general theme running through the sequences of an immortal love that transcended the ages was inspiring. But the choices of what to choose to reflect brutal oppression were questionable in at least one case, where it veered a little too far to the modern left in its portrayal of the eternal human struggle between freedom and law & order, by painting the military regime of the 60s and 70s as violently repressive, inflicting brutal oppression on a suffering population, whereas it actually had ample popular support and was very mild compared to what was going on in the rest of Latin America during the ideological struggle to prevent the spread of Soviet and Maoist inspired revolution. It is no surprise that this film was supported by the PT government, which saw its own scheme for perpetual power undermined by its own greed, as it looted the public sector before its excesses finally toppled it. Almost as disappointing for me as the PT betrayal was the film's basic assumption that wrong must always be met with violence. That equation, and the lack of sufficient efforts to find alternatives, are what condemn us to continually repeating the same errors. The left seems unable to recognise the fact that the crimes perpetrated during the French and Bolshevik revolutions were every bit as appalling as what had preceded them. The nazis also used to say that the means justified the ends! So, in conclusion, just try to see this film as a fable based around people's fights for injustice and that the key element is actually immortal love, not base material concerns. Thus, you can take away a valuable lesson from a flawed vehicle.

I don't write reviews often, but this is one movie that compelled me to write something; if not for the sake of this film being more than just ambitious, but for the sake of this film daring to be an homage to love, cynicism and the brutal reality of oppression.For people privileged enough to not have to deal with the everyday worries of living under an oppressive regime, this movie may fall on deaf ears. However, anyone who struggles in their day-to-day lives under institutions setup to disrupt and disparage the average person into existing to survive and surviving to exist, you'll easily and quickly recognize that this movie works on so many parallels to real life that it feels less like an animated feature and more like a retelling of all the historical atrocities that remind us why it's important to never forget history.There's no point in trying to review the story of Rio 2096 because the story itself is linear only in the sense that it follows a single soul through a series of different time periods; everything else about the film is non-linear and almost more like a series of short films wrapped in a single film about how little an individual person is in the grand scheme of society's perceived image (and the realities) of oppression.Take note that this film pulls no punches. It's violent and sexually charged, making it highly unsuitable for younger audiences. However, this is a very poignant film that speaks volumes about the necessity of standing by the virtue of fortitude, even when it seems like the results are infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things.This is a brilliant film that speaks on many levels.

Now this animated movie is more than complex. And I'm not talking only about the different time lines this has. Obviously one of the things this is trying to convey, is that you can't leave the past just laying there. Forgetting about it, just is not an option. If you believe the movie, there is always a connection. A weird one, but there is one and I'm sure many believe that too.Even if you don't believe it, the visual style will grab your attention. It might wear off though after a while and might not keep you hooked until the end. Whatever the case, you have to like your movies to be a bit different and have a science fiction touch to them. If that is the case you will really like it ... if not, even the 6 I gave it, will sound too much in your eyes ...

In 1566, in Guanabara, the Tupinambá warrior Abeguar is in love with Janaína. When a jaguar attacks Abeguar and Janaína, he jumps off a cliff with her and he flies. The shaman advises Abeguar that he was the chosen one by the god Munhã to lead his tribe and fight against the evil Anhangá. When the tribe leader Piatã joins the French in the fight against the Portuguese, the entire Tupinambás are slaughtered and Abeguar turns into a bird that flies for more than two hundred years to find Janaina.In 1825, the warrior is Manuel Balaio that lives with Janaína and their two daughters in Maranhão. When one of his daughters is raped by the abusive police commander, Balaio leads the oppressed locals against the police and they take down the Caxias city. The government sends Duque de Caxias and his troops that vanquish the rebels and Balaio turns into a bird again that flies for more than one hundred and forty years to find Janaína again.In 1968, in Rio, the warrior is Cau, but Janaína is a revolutionary student that lives with another insurgent. When Cau and Janaína are arrested by the repressive police, Cau rats the insurgents to protect Janaína from the torture and he becomes an outcast by his former fellows. Only the jailer Feijão talks to him and Cau teaches him politics. With the amnesty, Cau moves to the slums with Feijão and becomes a teacher and member of the criminal group Falange Vermelha. When the police invade the slum, Cau turns into a bird again that flies for more than one hundred years to find Janaína again.In 2096, in Rio de Janeiro, very few people can afford water that is mostly used in the ethanol plantations by the governmental company Aquabrás. The warrior is now a journalist and Janaína a call-girl. When the president of Aquabrás is kidnapped by a group of insurgents, the warrior sees Janaína on television and heads to Aquabrás to save her."Uma História de Amor e Fúria" (meaning "A Story of Love and Fury") is an unconventional Brazilian animation with dramatic highlights of moments of oppression, uprising of the oppressed people and love of the Brazilian history. This animation was awarded with Cristal award in the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in the Best Feature category but unfortunately is neither known in Brazil nor overseas. It is amazing that this is the first review in IMDb. Last but not the least; this is not an entertaining animation but a story to be reflected. As the immortal warrior says in his last sentence, "to live without knowing the past is to live in the dark". My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "Uma História de Amor e Fúria" ("A Story of Love and Fury")