O homem que copiava (The man who copied)- 2003 - Brazil - Director: Jorge Furtado - Genre: Drama/Comedy - Stars: Lázaro Ramos, Leandra Leal, Luana Piovani e Pedro CardosoThis movie involves some conflicts experienced by André (Lázaro Ramos) a young shy and humble Brazilian who works in a copier to help his mother. They live together in a simple apartment in Porto Alegre, located in southern Brazil. The fact of moving away from the big centers in Brazil - São Paulo and Rio - is one of the interesting points that the film presents.André is very shy, and therefore an observer. He has binoculars to watch from afar what is happening around him. His neighbor Silvia (Leandra Leal)receives special attention in his observations. He knows whole her routine: she lives with her father and works in a clothing store. He decides to buy a gift for his mother, to get closer to Silvia, or at least to try, Silvia suggests a nightshirt, but this costs R$ 38.00 and André doesn't have the money.Lack of money is a big problem in his life, which can be seen already in the first scene of the movie. To buy the nightshirt he decides to make a copy of a note of R$ 50.00. From there the whole plot unfolds in an entertaining way. André approach Silvia, moreover, together with his friend Cardoso (Pedro Cardoso) he decides to steal an armored car and even wins the lottery. In other words, he gets what he wanted: money, lots of money.The film is narrated by André himself, which leads us to get an idea of how he perceives things, sees the world and his particularities. Perhaps there is some ambiguity in the title of this film, André, the man who copied leads a repetitive and somewhat dull life: his days are like copies, nothing happens, nothing changes, just the same thing, every day; and for him a little money would make all the difference in his life.This is the second feature film directed by Jorge Furtado, who was born in the city where the film is set. Furtado had directed several works for television, but it was with this film that his name became known. The story holds the attention because we hope and cheer for André to get what he wants. Moreover, it shows the difficulties of those living with little money, making some critique to the social inequality in Brazil. Winner of several film festivals around the world, highly recommended and successful in Brazil and outside also, it's a very interesting story to think about money and happiness.

Excellent film.Totally recommended.Without doubt it's the best film of the last 30 years.Why?Cause this film is universal.The feelings of Andre are the same feelings that could have Andre in NY,Madrid or Tokyo. Love,money,job,life,Leandra Leal...who can't fall in love with Leandra Leal? Second,it's the best film noir since the Hollywood classic films of the RKO studio and the 40's. Third,when you see this film you would have the same sensation that you have when you saw "ACCATTONE" or the films of YASUJIRO OZU,or the FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT films with Claude Jade.You know that it's a magic moment when you see for the first time these masterpieces and you discover that it's a unique moment. Why Brasil has the most incredible girls in the world?.Leandra Leal plays an excellent role(when you see Leandra Leal you will understand Andre feelings) and Luana Piovani is spectacular in his role of a hot girl that is looking for a very rich man or a man with a bed with a dossel(it's a hot girl and a philosopher,says Andre in this film).Only for LEANDRA LEAL and LUANA PIOVANI this film should be watching.(also check out MARIA RIBEIRO and MAITE PROENÇA in "Tolerancia".This film is worst that O HOMEM QUE COPIAVA but these women are spectacular). Lazaro Ramos and Pedro Cardoso are an incredible actors.The dialogues are intelligent,clever and fun and this is very rare to find in a film today.The end is totally unexpected and makes that you love even more this film.And the theme that sounds with the credits is the perfect end. Last year in Spain,Localia TV ,aired O HOMEM QUE COPIAVA,TOLERANCIA and SAL DE PRATA (in august 2006) and since then i felt in love with this movie.I need to watch every month this film.

Wow, what can I say? What a mess of a film. The movie starts in a fast pace, with little dialogue and lots of narration, which is a way of getting the movie to feel more dynamic and smart than it really is. Some details are thrown with no real need, like the fact that he popped a school colleague eye's out with a bottle after he laughed of his missing father - added merely to the value of shock, in an animated segment to make it look "cool".And then the whole plot starts to move in a farcical, absurd way. There is no way to produce believable copies of money that way, even if they don't look at the bill it's easy to feel it's not real. The whole bank robbery scheme is WAY opposite to the main character's way of thinking, it's too unbelievable. The whole thing with his girlfriend's father and the drug dealer who sells the weapon, flattened character that, on a mere sign of posing any danger to the plot, are killed in absurd and unbelievable ways.The acting is OK. Lázaro Ramos seems lost and with an amateurish feel. Leandra Leal did a good job, but not brilliant. Pedro Cardoso gets this film into a whole new level and is perfect for his role, what felt like a mere "cameo" by him turned into the best character in the film. Luava Piovani seems to be a cameo-based character that got WAY too many lines.This movie feels like "Ilha das Flores" meets "Small Time Crooks". If this movies have flaws, you can blame it on the writer adding too many cliché elements, and the editor - intercuting a tense scene between the main character and his girlfriend's father and a scene featuring Pedro Cardoso comically sleeping with Luava Piovani makes anyone scream "NO, NO, BAD! BAD EDITOR!".It's entertaining in some points, and sooort of well directed and filled with good performances. I wouldn't have it on a priority list of films to see, but if you eventually catch on the TV, give it a chance.

The outstanding director Jorge Furtado debuts with this simple but brilliant movie. The plot is about a normal, and poor, guy, with dreams and a distant love, like everyone one of us had once in life. Lázaro Ramos is in an astounding performance, Andre becomes a very touchable character, and we laugh and cry with his plans to make money to finally approach his real love. Speaking in Andre's love interest we need to talk about Leandra Leal in a very competent and flawless performance she makes a sweet, but rather deep and human, girl. The chemistry between them is very believable and make the plot sound amazingly near to the audience.The work of Jorge Furtado is memorable, the narrative is fast and very funny, the work with the cameras don't have a single flaw, making a clear and polite movie. The plot is simple but with creative, and believable, twists. The only point that deserves complains is the sound... Sometimes the sound editing is so unprofessional that i care about the Brazilian structure of cinema industry. Anyway it doesn't matter if you don't have a powerful 5.1 system in your room."O Homem que copiava" is a very competent movie, full of comedy and dramatist, with brilliant acting and an end that show us that the concept of good and bad are perfectly relative.10 out of Ten!