Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

The 2003 Brazilian movie "O homen que copiava" (The Man who Copied), written and directed by Jorge Furtado has considerable voice-over internal monologue from Andre (Lazaro Ramos [Madame Sata]), a shy 19-year-old Afro-Brazilian working as a photocopy operator in Porto Allegro (in southern Brazil), earning very little and having no luck in interesting girls. Every evening while his mother watches television, he draws cartoons (graphic novels? anyway they take off into several animated sequences within the movie) and then watches across the street at 11 p.m. when Silvia (Leandra Leal) comes home across the street. Through binoculars and an opening between the curtains in her room, he watches her take off her blouse and skirt and disappear into the bathroom.

His bumbling approaches to her are not spurned, but he makes only a bit more than half the rent and half the installment payments on the television, and is not exactly challenged by his low-paying job. Some of his imagination goes into his drawings, but eventually is focused on getting money to romance Silvia.

His plans involve his very attractive co-worker, Marines (Luana Piovani) and a junk-shop "antique dealer" named Cardoso (Pedro Cardoso) who is desperate to bed Marines (and driven more than a little wild by her telling him that she is a virgin, but has done everything else--which in Brazil really means everything else).

Andre has some self-deprecating charm as a narrator, but the movie risks losing viewers in dwelling on his dead-end existence. Although taking perilously longing to get the romance kindled and making some money, there are multiple rewards and surprises in store for viewers who stick with it. I want to reveal them, but won't. I will mention that Shakespeare's twelfth sonnet ("When I do count the clock that tells the time") in translation is important to the romance, and that there are ways to make money running a photocopier.

When tensions build, they are enhanced by fast, upbeat music (not credited to anyone!)

My regular readers (the Discerning Few) will already know that I don't like being made complicit with crimes and identifying with criminals. It is not that difficult to rationalize that those who die are not nice people, but are their offenses capital ones? There are other questions that arise after viewing the movie, but I found it impossible to dislike any of the conspirators. The voyeurism/stalker angles should be creepy, but (as in one installment of the Decalogue) seems justifiable in the end and almost cute. (Female viewers may differ, but should reserve final judgment until the end.)

There are almost as many surprises as in the Argentine film "Nine Queens." It also reminds me in some ways (particularly a graphic novel in difficult pursuit of his beloved in Latin America) on "Testosterone," a movie I like more in memory than I did while I was watching it. A movie that it does not remind me of is "City of God" (Cidade de Deus): it is much less intense and less violent than that, far more romantic and funny (often darkly comic).

Avoid watching the "making of" featurette before watching the movie. It doesn't have any great insights but is entertaining after watching the movie.

© 2006, Stephen O. Murray



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD