VeryThe film tells the story of the best-evaluated president in Brazilian history and this causes the fury of those who did not vote for him and did not accept defeat in the elections. Unfortunately this president suffered a coup and was cowardly imprisoned without any evidence of crimes he has committed. Great movie!

I just saw "Lula, Son of Brazil" at the Palm Springs Festival. As others noted, the acting (Glória Pires and Milhem Cortaz ) is very good and first timer Ruis Ricardo Diaz does a good job portraying the future president. The cinematography is also up to the usual high standards of Brazilian films. The portrayal of the Northeast, origin of much of the marginalized population in the industrial southern cities is genuine and sympathetic, as it was in previous films ( "CentralStation", and "Behind the Sun" )The fictionalized and tear-jerky story line, however, comes across as the secular sanctification of Lula. One should not forget that the film's makers and some of the actors are intimately connected with the ex-president. Lula's remarkable popularity and executive success should not be cause to whitewash his entire past and portray him as the proletarian saint he appears to be in this movie. The director ( Fábio Barreto ) admitted that national screenings only netted an audience of 1 Million. In a nation of over 200 Million, that stands in contrast to the reported 85% approval rating of the politician at the end of his term. Ms. Barreto, full of class angst, blames this on the "Class A" population, supposedly the only ones interested enough or rich enough to afford the $5 ticket price. This implies a simplified vision of Brazilian society between the haves (Class A) and have-nots (Class C); exactly the sort claptrap ideological rhetoric that prevented Lula from achieving success in previous attempts. Yes, there is a wealthy elite and yes, Brazil does have lingering problems with class divisions, but there is at least a middle "Class B" (growing, in large part, due to the impact of recent Brazilian economic successes). There are worthwhile role models among the class of small entrepreneurs, possibly even in the "Brahmin" ranks of "Class A". The simple truth is, people in Brazil may largely approve of the ex-president, but they are not excited enough about him and his worker's party to invest the time and fork over the money to come and adore him. They'd rather wait until it's out on DVD and available for a buck on the notorious black market. Go and see this film. It has its merits and foreign audiences, in particular, will learn something about Brazil and Lula, but leave your handkerchief in your pocket.

This movie is profoundly based on the true story of Brazil's President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), beginning at his birth, in the poor countryside of the Northeastern semi-arid Pernambuco State.It is not openly political, once the story ends before his political acting years in the early eighties, but it has produced some controversy in Brazil, once this is election year. Of course, he can't run for President on a third term, though.Apart from that, there is a feeling through the movie that it was meant to show some of the most important moments in his life, so there are some scenes that are short on completion. Viewers may expect something more about the short stories told as facts, like something you'd tell on a conversation.The screenwriters apply the conduct line on the main character's mother, played by Gloria Pires (great), as was done in the other heartwarming movie '2 Filhos de Francisco', but still there is some loss of bond.All the actors give their best, specially the main actor. The photography is well composed. The soundtrack, highly appropriate, though a bit repetitive. The direction, it seems to me, could have been better.Great moments bring the audience to tears, while learning about the past of suffering and poverty that built the charismatic and popular politician. As a Brazilian, I was touched when I found out that a little boy who cleaned people's leather shoes in the streets became my President. All he needed was to be stubborn.

The story is about the life of Brazilian President (2003-2010) Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. But the movie doesn't concern politics, since it ends before he becomes a politician. It is a humanistic story, very sad, based on a true story present on the book with the same name of the movie. It is always very touching to see that someone who suffered that much could end being a president.However, there are some corny scenes, very unlikely true. Moreover, Lula's father is shown very very mean, and Lula has told he was bad, but not that much.The acting of Gloria Pires I found very nice, but the child actors are not well prepared. And the main actor, Rui Ricardo Dias is never shown with his left hand open, which kind of annoys me. I think they should have used some special effects to hide his little finger (which was severed), since it is a production of 9 million dollars, the most expensive ever made in Brazil.When Lula is already a syndicalist, there are some real scenes that were taken from the excellent documentary "Linha de montagem", of Renato Tapajós. But the cinematography is different between these scenes and the filmed now, so it seems a little strange, but it is comprehensible.The one fact that really annoyed me is the credits mixed with the story in the beginning. This irritated everybody in the theater and is very unpleasant.But what matters most in a movie is the story, so how the story is outstanding, the movie is 8 out of 10. The movie "2 Filhos de Francisco" from Breno Silveira is very similar to this, but in my opinion, better directed. And those who likes Lula's biography should also watch the documentary "Entreatos", from João Moreira Salles.