Heleno

A film about a footballer, but not about football, just as Raging Bull, which Heleno at the very least resembles in the drastic physical transformation of its protagonist, was not a film about boxing. Heleno's belief that the game stands and falls solely with his performance leads to his loss of control over the game and over his own life. Whereas in the opening part of the film he lets women have the upper hand over him in the sexual act, he compensates for his subsequent gambling mistakes by violently subjugating his mistress and verbally assaulting his wife, actions that serve only as small band-aids for his wounded ego. He can no longer achieve lasting happiness after his self-destructive lifestyle causes him to lose focus (and thus also the ability to win). Viewers who are unfamiliar with Heleno’s talent will be put at a disadvantage, as the film depicts the protagonist as a deplorable person from the opening minutes. But what happened before he became a loser? What has he lost? From what height has he fallen? We are given no other choice than to believe he once ranked among the geniuses of football. The gentle narrative pace, which is aided by long shots and minimal formalistic excesses (only a few bird’s-eye views) as well as the small number of characters and alternating settings, corresponds to the slow breakdown of a body afflicted with syphilis. The film’s visual style changes depending on Heleno’s state of mind and physical appearance. The refinement of the scenes from smoky nightclubs contrasts with the raw image from the latter part of Heleno’s life, when the film is reminiscent of Cinema Novo social dramas steeped in neorealism. However, the filmmakers were not interested in the social context, instead making a character study without a social, political, metaphysical or any other dimension that would have diluted the concentrated nature of the narrative, but could have conversely helped to grasp the far-reaching cause of Heleno’s helplessness (and that of men in general). As it stands, Heleno is merely a vivid portrayal of a story that can be forgotten because its presentation lacks timeless qualities. 65% (07/06/2013)

Heleno might have been a genius soccer player, but he was also quite an idiot. It could be summed up like this: his ego was so huge that it drove him mad. Literally. I liked the movie in itself, but the greyscale made me a bit sleepy every now and then. But the sleepy scenes took turns with really interesting scenes in which the main actor portraying a famous soccer player really put on a show. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all a hit and so an interesting drama biopic turned into a little grey mouse that might grab your attention, but only for a minute. (01/11/2013)