"EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR PRESENTS" ""ALMOST NOTHING"" "A FILM BY" "PRODUCTION I CO-PRODUCTION" "WITH..." "IN "SCYTHE"" "WITH..." "IN "POISON"" "WITH..." "IN "AXE"" "PHOTOGRAPHY AND CAMERA" "SOUND" "COSTUMES" "PRODUCTION" "ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND ART DIRECTION - "SCYTHE" AND "POISON"" "ART DIRECTOR IN "AXE"" "MUSIC" "EDITED BY" "EXECUTIVE PRODUCER" "WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY" "Come on Nei, Rafael!" "I'm not waiting all day." "Come on, boys!" "I'll not have you late for school." "Go on, go with your brothers, Angélica." "It's time, men!" "Let's go!" "Already?" "Another day gone, Compadre?" "What are you talking about, João?" "Would you rather stay till tomorrow?" "We could stay another 3 hours." "Let's go, let's go." "Hi." "Is dinner ready, Teresinha?" "Dad, are we going fishing Saturday?" "Sure." "SANTO ANTÔNIO FARM OPENING FOR PLANTER" "Told you." "João, just a minute." "Sit down, please." "I'm not very pleased with Messias." "From next week you're in charge of your group." "Me?" "!" "Yes, take over the job." "I'll pay an extra real a day." "But why me?" "I can't write, read." "How about Compadre, he'd be better than me." "Right, Compadre?" " What?" " Be in charge." " Huh?" " No, no, João." "You'd be ideal." " I can't write." " Ask your son to write for you." "Anyone missing, make a note." "Anyone late, note that down too." "Now, anyone who's no good, you get rid of." " Really?" " Really." "It's a deal?" "Hey, Compadre!" "Come in, João." "You got it?" "What do you think?" " And it's good stuff, too." " Penha, bring us the mugs!" "João, how about a haircut while you're here?" "While Messias is on form." "Here it is, look." "I've no idea what got into Antônio's head... putting me in charge of our group." "I didn't ask him to or anything, you hear, Messias." "Don't worry about it, João." "It's one hell of a headache for such little money." "That's true." "But anyway, you told him you didn't want to, right João?" "That's right, in fact I told him it should be you, Compadre." "Told him it should be me, but didn't say you wouldn't do it." "So now old João's going to put the gang in order, right João?" "It'll be just as before." "All you have to do is work, nothing to it." "And today I'm going fishing." "I'm going to catch a big one." "When we get there, spread out." "If you stick together, you're too noisy, they don't come." "You make notes for me, about the job." "Tear a sheet out, I'll tell you things every day." "Keep smart, boy." "Dad, what did mom die of?" "Don't know." "I went off to work, was fine." "When I returned she'd had it." "Didn't even have time to complain." "Can that happen to anyone?" "Me, here, just like that, or to you?" " Today?" " Not today." "Today's fishing day." "Things like that happen in their own good time." "Dad, mom would have liked you being in charge of the group... wouldn't she?" "Okay everyone, let's get going." "We'll start over here, right down as far as the river bank." "Come on, Messias." "Shall we, Compadre?" " Did I say Batista?" " Yeah." " That's it, then." " What do I put?" "No one was missing today." "What else are you writing?" "A "W"." "For "Worked"." "Isn't that what you said?" "Hey, go and play!" "Can't you see your dad's working?" "Put that paper somewhere safe." "If anyone is absent I'll tell you, and you write it down, OK?" "All right." " I'll put an "A"." " Huh?" ""A" for absent, dad." "You two are a little late." "It's seven o'clock." "Messias?" "What's up, João?" "Did you pass Compadre's house?" "No." "He's not usually late." "Let's go." "All right everyone, let's get moving." "What time is it, Seu João?" "Quarter to eight." "Well, Compadre, miss your train?" "Antônio." "Worked." "Compadre." "Hey, dad." "Compadre." "Are they paying you more now, son?" " Yeah." " How much?" "It's just more to worry about." "Come on, son." "Compadre worked just like the rest." "Compadre hasn't been showing up, has he, João?" "Martins." "Put absent." "I don't think he's coming anymore anyway." "Hey, João." "These tools are no good anymore." " Terrible." " That was new, wasn't it?" "I put a new handle on it less than a month ago." "Use mine." "I'll send for a new one." "I don't like working with other people's tools." "You're going to send for one, aren't you?" "I'll wait, meanwhile I'll go looking for a handle." "Hey, Toinho!" "Run to the farm, get Compadre a scythe." "Go on, boy!" "Come on, men." "Or we'll be here all day." "Messias, what about Toinho, he's been gone forty minutes." "No idea, João." "An hour and a half to fetch a scythe, what got into you?" "They took so long giving it to me." "I ran all the way." "Time's up, men." "Lunch!" " Did it arrive?" " Here, Compadre." "Hope it'll be strong enough." "There's that one about the guy worked all day, got home tired." " I know that one, that's an old one." " But the others don't know it." "Tell us, Compadre." "I will, I will." "Your watch broken, João?" "Yeah." "I was near Compadre." "By God I saw him hit the rock with the scythe." "It was like he was angry with his tool." "I won't be able to work tomorrow, João." " How come?" " Taking Luís to the doctor." "Boy's not too good." " Can't the missus take him instead?" " No." "It's your day, what's to be done?" " Lf I have to lose it..." " The day plus Sunday." "Guess so." "You're in charge, you know, see what you can do." "Compadre, sorry to have to ask you this... but are you holding something against me?" " Me?" "No." " No?" "That's all right then." " Bye, Compadre." " Bye." "Help your father, boy!" "Sebastião." ""W."" "Geraldo." ""W."" "Antônio." ""W."" "Compadre." ""A"..." "No, no." "Put "W"." "Messias." "Messias is "W"." "A full week." "Hmmm, did you work on Thursday?" "João, come here." "Compadre didn't work Thursday, what's going on?" "He took the boy to the doctor." "I thought..." "You don't have to do any thinking." "You just write down who was absent." "Whether I pay or not is up to me." "I'm docking it off." "Here's your money." "It's no good João." "Just a minute." "Antônio, it's the first time..." "Look:" "Those who work, I pay." "Those who don't, no money." "You write down who is absent, and that's all there is to it." "Next." "Yes, sir." " Compadre?" " Hi." " Got any?" " No, there wasn't enough money." "Oh..." "Fishing?" "No, thanks." "Bye." "Dad... you know that day you told me to give Compadre a"W"?" "That day he was absent?" "He took Luís to the doctor." "No, dad." "Luís was at school with me." "So they went in the afternoon." "We went fishing in the afternoon." "Dad..." "Shall we?" "Sit down, Messias." "Who's the lucky one today?" " Definitely me." " Bullshit, you lost the last one." "Remember?" "All right?" "My turn to begin." "That's a good start." " Right, that's finished that one." " I've had enough." " Already Francisco?" " Let him go." "The three of us will play." " Anymore anyone?" " No, thanks." " You, Compadre?" " No, I'm fine." "Next round on me." "Okay." "What's up, João?" "Want to tell us something?" "No, I was just remembering." "Remember how we met?" "Sure." "Those sure were different times." "This farm was just a load of brushwood." "Enough to frighten a leopard." "The boss took the worst part and gave it to anyone who dared take it." "No one wanted it, so I took it." "But I had no one to help me." "Then, Compadre showed up in these parts." "Weren't even married, were you, Compadre?" "No." "Compadre set to work with me." "A whole month." "We didn't even go home to sleep." "My woman, God rest her soul, brought us food... and the scythes worked night and day, remember, Compadre?" "I remember." "We delivered on time." "And what did I do with the money we earned?" "I don't know what you did, I spent my share." "He doesn't want to say." "I split the payment in two." "It was my job, I could have just paid him a wage." "But no." "We each got half." " Isn't that right, Compadre?" " Yeah." " We were equal back in those days." " Equal." "The difference today is there's so much dishonesty around." "What's got into Seu João?" "João's changed lately." "Strange." "Pass." "I'll buy one." "My game." " Give Compadre one, too." " Thanks, I don't want any." "Don't insult me." "He never came to my house without being offered a coffee, or some liquor." "Nor you at my house, it's just the same." "Used to be." "I saw you hide that bottle today." "Don't you dare insult me like that." "Never thought I'd see the day, hiding liquor." "Dumb talk." "You're drinking together now, aren't you?" "And remerging the old days." "So?" "So I came here to see whether Compadre has anything to tell me." "Like what?" "Like the bottle you hid." "And anything else there might be." "If I ever did you any wrong." "Look, João, it's nothing." "The matter's closed." "You drink your liquor, I'll play my dominos, that's all there is to it." "I wish." "Come on, how about another game?" "It's a disgrace." "Dirty liar." " Who are you calling liar?" " You." "You hid that bottle and not only that, you lied to me." "You never took the boy to the doctor." "You know what's worse than hiding, worse than lying?" "Stealing's worse." " So who's the thief?" " You." "Stole two days work from others." "Stop this!" "Stop!" "João?" "João?" "What's up, dad?" "Go to sleep, kid." "João!" "What's all the noise?" "Nothing, mother." "What's going on?" "Have you gone mad, João?" "Look after the kids for me." "Watch the money." "What are you going to do, dad?" "Either my day has come, or his has." "We'll see." "Lock the door." "Don't open it again till morning." " You insolent!" " What, Seu João?" " Dad's in a fight." " Come on!" "Get away from there, boy!" "Come on, you scoundrel!" "Get out of there!" "Oh my God!" "Grandma, dad did something bad and disappeared." "Holy mother of God!" "My son." "Dad." "Go ahead, take your shirt off." "You can dress, it's better." "Doctor, I..." "Can't you prescribe me something?" "At night I can't sleep a wink." " Restless, huh?" " Yes, sir." "Here's a prescription." "I thought you must have dropped dead!" "Look at the time, you might as well have stayed over." "Doctor took ages, bus was late." "What about the cows, udders bursting." " I'll go milk them now." " Do whatever you like." "Everything's a mess anyway." "Anyone would think you liked this poverty." "That cows udders are sick, the boss will dock the medicine from your wage." "What did the doctor say?" " Said I'm well again." " I told you so." "Don't even know what you went for." "Anyone could tell you're better." "As for the cows, we'll see." "If the boss docks my wage, I'll quit." "Ha, that would suit you just fine, wouldn't it?" "Go wandering off like a gipsy, you like that." "How many times have we moved farm in the last six months?" " Huh?" "How many?" " Three." "And you don't even think its very much." "Well I'm not moving again." "Get that into your thick head." "It burnt out, Ademir, that's all." "Got another one?" "No." "Zé Marco." "That's all there is, off you go." "Ademir!" "Hey, Ademir!" "Altino." "You?" "We've got to settle up, Ademir." "What do you want, Altino?" "You already ruined me, drove me out of the house like a dog." "Yeah, and you know why I did it." "I know." " And you've told other people." " No!" "Not yet." "But I know you." "I've nothing left, what else do you want?" "What?" "Your life." "For Christ's sake, Altino!" "Either you give it to me, or I'll take it." "Come on!" "Idalina!" "Idalina?" "Useless." "Zé Marco, do you know of anyone giving away a dog?" " Selling, even?" " I can try and find out, Ademir." " Yeah, do that for me." " Okay." "Haven't you anything better to do?" "I like this place, woman." "We can get ahead here." "What's past is past." "When I get paid, I'll buy a few goats to raise." "You think Altino will find us here?" "He's already forgotten you." "You're the one doesn't forget him, keep worrying about nonsense." "Nonsense, you think it's nonsense, do you?" "Altino's a clever guy." "By now he's already bought a motorbike, or a car." "You think he'd chase after someone... who hasn't even got a roof over his head?" "You're so stupid, you know?" "Yeah, but if he comes now, I'll fight him." "Ha!" "Zé Marco, give me a hand." "And the dog?" "You should leave him tied up a few days, till he gets used to the place." " Has he got a name?" " Grimace." "Sure is ugly." "But for barking..." "They say dogs who bark don't bite, Ademir." "That's what they say." "Grimace?" "Grimace?" "See you tomorrow, Ademir." "So, you're Ademir?" "Yes, sir." "I came to see how you're getting on." "Just fine, thank God." "How many liters?" "150, today." "Couldn't you get more than that?" "This place used to produce 200." "The cows aren't used to me yet." " I'll get 200 soon enough." " All right." "Are you watching out for the bugs and lice?" "Yes, sir." "Any cows missing?" "No." "Do they often wander off, boss?" "You never know." "Check them every day." "Yes, sir." "How many head you got here?" "Ninety-three cows and calves, and four bulls." "All right." "I'll be back next week." "Stand back now." "See you then." "22, 23, 24, 25, 26... 27, 28, 29, 30... 31, 32, 33, 34, 35... 36, 37, 38, 39, 40... 41, 42, 43..." "44... 45, 46, 47, 48." "The 43 calves are right." "There are 50 cows, I only counted 48." "Maybe I counted wrong." "Woman, we'll do it again." "Oh, Ademir." "...41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48." "48." "How is it possible?" "!" "No more, right?" "We counted them three times, that's all there is." "How can cows disappear?" "Who knows, Ademir." "Ah, those devils!" "You could at least buy a television." "I'll buy the goats and chickens, next month I'll make a down payment on the television." "The television first." "I'll do without eggs." "Zé Marco said the dog barked." "Wasting money on animals." "He might at least bark a little." "Just so we know he's there." "If you were to trust that dog..." "Are you training knife throwing for me, Ademir?" "Is it for me?" "Look at me." "Take it easy, Ademir, go on." "Let's just talk." "Know why I came?" "To take my life." "I heard your boss was here yesterday." "But I didn't tell him anything, Altino." "About what?" "About what happened." "Nothing did happen." "Nothing happened." "And you know why?" "Because you're yellow." "A yellow bastard." "It might have happened, it might have, and you and" "Idalina would be living better." "She understood, but not you." "I understood all right, Altino." "It's just that my nerve goes, I get scared." "Scared of losing your life." "Yeah." "I don't even know why I like living." "Me neither." "It's a vice you have, you should kick it." "The cows were all there waiting, the best, so you said." "The deal was done, the men who were going to get the cows... had even already got hold of a truck." "They waited all night." "But no cows." "They never arrived." "My name was mud." "And you know why?" "Huh, know why?" "Nerves." "It wasn't nerves, damn it." "It's because the cows were the boss's, and to you the boss is God!" "That's why." "It wasn't fear of dying, nor fear of going to jail." "I'm your friend, Altino." "I was your friend, too." "After all, I called on you for that job." "I could have got someone else, but I got you." "And thanks to you I lost out." "I won't have that in a friend." "Go on, take off your shirt." "Go on." "Ademir!" "Ademir!" "Let's go inside, Ademir." "Oh, Zé Marco!" "Zé Marco!" "Zé Marco!" "Hail Mary!" "Mother of God!" "It's Zé Marco!" "We'll have to tell them up at the farm." "It was him." "With his knife." "Come on, Ademir!" "We've got to tell them up at the farm." "Ademir!" "Ademir, this man from the police wants to talk to you." "It was you found the boy, wasn't it?" "Yes it was, sir." "Did you know him?" " Huh?" " The dead boy, man." "Oh, yes sir, he came for the milk every day." "Did he come today?" "Yes he did, sir." "And then?" "He took the milk." "I cleaned the yard, then I went to take the calves to graze... and saw vultures flying, thought it must be a cow having given birth." "Any idea who might have done it?" "Do you know who it was?" "No, sir." "I'm not the police!" "I'm talking to you, kid!" "Those scars, where did you get them?" "Wasn't it you, taking revenge?" "Has he worked here long?" "No, not even a month." "Hey, kid, you're getting all nervous." "You did it, didn't it?" "My husband didn't do a thing." "Would even kill a fly." " Don't tell them, woman." " Don't tell us what, kid?" "You want me to beat it out of you?" "Those scars are from Paroba, where we used to live, 200 miles away." " So?" " Ademir was a cowhand there." "This guy Altino and he agreed to steal the boss's cattle." "Are you a thief?" "A thief, huh?" "I'm not a thief, no, sir!" "Ademir pulled out, but he got him with his knife." "That was all." "Ademir's been seeing things, thinking he's going to come... back to finish the job." "Sure will, Idalina." "It was he got Zé Marco." "Stabbed him." "Because of the dog." "The Grimming, Grimace." "That'll do for now." "I'll believe you." "But I'll be back." "Let's go." "Altino already knows where I am." "Forget all that, man." "Forget all that, Ademir." "I never thought I'd have the police after me." "Well what do expect giving dumb answers like that." "Idalina, he said he'd be back." "Do you really think he'll come?" "You'll drive yourself crazy, Ademir." "Come and rest." "Altino already knows where I am." "He's a dangerous man, there's no way out, no way out." "Taking another one, Ademir?" "CAUTION" " POISON" "Gloria!" "Gloria!" "I love that song." "Put it on again." "What does it remind you of?" "Ah, that would be telling." "All right, I'll put it on again." "It's Ernani, hurry, get out!" " Ernani, take it easy!" " Where is he?" " Calm down, Ernani, take it easy." " Where is he?" "Where is he?" "Calm down, Ernani!" "Let go of my daughter!" "Give me my daughter!" "It's your turn, Gloria." "Come here." "You can do any crazy thing you like, just be sure of one thing:" "I'm no longer your wife, and never will be again!" "This year is going to bring me a new life!" "Shut up!" "You're no human, you're an animal!" "Go on, kill me." "I'll die having taken my revenge." "Me and him, us." "Like a boy letting his heart" "Run away aimlessly,no destiny" "Who blows and howls like a tornado" "And into this fire of love I'll place my hand" "And I'll even allow The love songs of passion" "Down a road leading nowhere" "My heart rules my destiny" "Open arms to light The light in my breast" "A true love,made of pure love" "Dark eyes Don't gaze at me like that" "Hi." "I'm Gloria." "My boss told me to buy some roses." " I can't sell them." " Why not?" "Ask your father." "Father?" "Yeah." "Isn't he the owner of this place?" "I haven't got a father." "I look after everything." "You?" "Alone?" "Yeah." "What's your name?" "Ernani." "So, Ernani, how much?" "I can't sell, these already have a buyer." "Just half a dozen." "It'll ruin them." "Oh, well, my bad luck." "Don't say things like that." "Are you superstitious?" "What about good luck?" "It exists." "So what would you call good luck?" "Me?" "Good luck would be you coming back another day." "Ernani?" "What's going on, Ernani?" "You're sad, aren't you?" "Your daughters all leaving." "They're flowers, Ernani." "Not your daughters." "Nor wife, nor girlfriend." "Look." "See?" "Say good-bye to them." "Silly you coming all the way up here." "Tiring yourself out." "I wanted to see it for myself." "When I was a girl, dad never let us girls come up, no way." "Girls alone in the open countryside." "Is it far?" "Here we are." "What a beautiful place, isn't it, Ernani?" "Tell me, isn't it pretty?" "When I met you I liked the way you hardly spoke." "But now we're married, I'd like you to talk more." "I do all the talking, I never know what's going on inside." "Why don't you speak, Ernani?" "Don't know." "You know why I was dying to come up here?" "Huh, Ernani?" "I dreamt of bathing here, in the pool." "Get dressed." "Get dressed, I'm telling you." "Gloria, don't look at me like that." "Gloria, I want you to go to mass with me." "Oh, no." "Just once." "Ernani, you got into that crazy stuff, do what you want." "But leave me out of it." "I'll never get religion, never!" "You'd like it." "You're a mother now, you've responsibilities." "Yes, but just because I'm a mother, doesn't mean I can't have fun." "Have fun, in what way?" "Enjoy life." "Is anything missing in yours?" "Not clothes and food." "But pretty much everything else." "Don't try your luck, Gloria." "You're trying your luck." "Don't you know what this means?" "A four-leafed clover." "Luck." "I couldn't give a damn about luck." "Some people die without having seen one of these." "It's for you." "I could care less about good luck or bad." "Well you should." "It's what rules the world." "I'd prefer a rose." "You never gave me one." "One day I'll go into the bush and find you one." "Don't bother." "That one will do." "No." "I'll give you a crazy rose." "Why crazy?" "It changes." "One color in the morning." "Another in the afternoon." "Hi." "Gloria!" "It's eleven at night." "I've been waiting since seven." "I almost went looking for you." "I didn't." "You know I don't usually drink." "I never keep booze in the house." "Today I drank." "You know why?" "No." "It helped me stay put in this chair." "Because if I'd gone after you, Gloria, and if I'd found you... and disliked what you were doing..." "I'd have killed you." "And I don't want to kill you." "You know why?" "Because of your daughter." "No." "Because there's nothing in this world I like more than you." "I ask only one thing:" "Respect me." " I wasn't doing anything." " Respect me." " We were just talking." " Respect me." "You're asking me something, so let me ask you." "Think about me, Ernani." "Think about me." "I think about you all the time." "You think about me the way you want me to be." "Think about me the way I am." "Respect me, too." "I don't get it." "I don't want to whither before my time, Ernani." "I'll not let you go, Gloria." "I'm not letting you go." "What will ye see in the Shulamite?" "What will ye see in the Shulamite?" "What will ye see in the Shulamite?" "How beautiful are thy feet with shoes..." "O prince's daughter!" "The joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the... hands of a cunning workman." "Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor:" "Thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies." "Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins." "Thine eyes... dark eyes, don't gaze at me like that." "Dark eyes, don't gaze at me like that." "Thine ayes like the fishpools in Heshbon." "Thy neck is as a tower of ivory." "My heart rules my destiny." "My heart rules my destiny." "My heart rules my destiny." "POLICE STATION" "STATE PENITENTIARY" ""ALMOST NOTHING"" "DIRECTOR AND WRITER There was a time in my life when I had a small ranch in Rio state." "I'd go there and tend the garden, manage things..." "My inspiration to "Almost Nothing" came from stories I heard there." "There are three stories, and it wasn't by chance I gave... the film the title "Almost Nothing"... because, differently from other films I've done... which focused on famous characters of Brazilian history... this new film focus on anonymous characters... forgotten people in a forgotten corner of Brazil." "Crimes that didn't make it to the headlines... people of rather little importance... in the broad sense of Brazilian society." ""Almost Nothing" tells a tale... very familiar to Sergio because he experienced it." "I heard something similar to this tale in my childhood... the same kind of quarreling..." ""He took matters into his own hands, he got hot under the collar... and made threats, kicked up a row, played havoc... took the bull by the horns", you know?" "I heard this a lot." "It's not any common murderer story." "Even though they committed murder... they didn't use firearms, but their hand tools." "When I wrote the script, I named it "Scythe, Poison and Ax"... tools by which they make a living, but in the end... becomes the tools by which they take people's lives." "They don't take their enemies' lives, but their friends' and loves' lives." " I'm your friend, Altino!" " I was your friend too." "Sorry to ask, pal, but do you hold a grudge against me?" " Me?" "Of course not!" "I don't want to kill you, Glorinha." "The stories share a common ground:" "people who have almost nothing... who have no Marx, no Freud and not even God." "They have no theoretical resources to understand the class struggle... nor understand the tortuous ways of the unconscious... and can't even resort to God, religion fails them ever so often." "I wrote the script in 4 days and didn't get back to it anymore." "It was in Rio de Janeiro, during some Holy Week..." "I was by myself, my family had left town for the holidays." "I sat down and wrote it in 4 days... and that's the script I shot." "Later on, I edited the film based on that." "DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Sergio's initial idea was to shoot a black and white film." "We talked about it and made a few experiments." "When I saw the location, the most striking aspect to me... was its natural color, which was basically earth color." "When we had dry weather, the dust would taint the air... the houses, everything." "Moreover, the film is a drama... and red is clearly present in all the three episodes." "The natural outcome was to make it in color." "The production is very simple... the crew is basically the size of a documentary's." "We didn't have any cranes, nor dollies, if I'm not mistaken... we used a dolly for very brief moments... the same thing with the lighting." "We barely had lighting." "It was a great challenge to make a film with "almost nothing"." "I mean, to make a movie with little technical resources." "To be up to this challenge and pleasure..." "I also love "bricolage"..." "I love the idea of doing things on your own... and I'd been making big movies with big crews, such as "Canudos"... a super- production with visual effects..." "There was "Mauá" too, a complicated film." "I was dying for that... for the pleasure of doing something small, among friends." "We were a crew of 12, if I'm not mistaken... people playing on two fronts, sometimes even three..." "Jurandir de Oliveira plays a role in it, but he's also the set designer." "All of this was possible... because I shot at my parents' house in Minas." "We used the surroundings as location and stayed at their house." "We were always together, talking and experiencing the shooting... what worked, what didn't work..." "Any controversy that arises from the process can help us find... creative solutions." "I think that Sergio, since the beginning... secretly established that as a rule... to give the crew a little push." "Like, I'm going to build this wall here to see if he can jump over it." "We had enough time to get prepared..." "This interaction with the film's reality... gave me just the time I needed... to feel at ease, and develop the character." "I took inspiration from everything I saw there... from the people who live there, from the people's behavior..." "This house where we shot, the people, the children... the fact I was in contact with the kids... it was an invaluable experience." "My partner in the film, who happens to be Denise Weinberg... is an old time friend... a great colleague." "We've been in many plays together... and this intimacy, this friendly atmosphere... this family atmosphere... gave me great confidence." "Genézio lives in São Paulo." "He came to Rio to talk everything over... with Mariza, the film producer." "From Rio he traveled to the location in Minas." "Mariza left for Minas a few days later." "When she arrived, we were at the table dining... so she greeted everyone." "Later on she came at me and whispered:" ""Who is that guy over there?" "Who is he?"" "I said: "That's Genézio, Mariza"." "She hadn't recognized Genézio because after arriving there... he put on his character's clothes, grew a beard... and didn't change clothes anymore, became someone else." "When you find an element, be it material... be it psychological... that element reveals to you the character's drama... it reveals to you how important... that element is to your character's daily life." "To him that knife means the defense element... as well as the fear element." "Are you practicing with the knife to kill me, Ademir?" "In the first story, Augusto Pompeo... a dancer and actor with a lot of stage experience... but who had had little experience in cinema... brought about his character's strength." "I came to know if my pal has something to tell me." " About what?" " About the bottle you hid." "About anything you want, supposing I caused you any displeasure." "João has a friend, a pal, and all of a sudden he starts to notice... that their professional relationship... is beginning to sour, you know?" "I believe it's the kind of thing... that happens in the daily routine of any human being." "You feel you're living in harmony with someone... then suddenly things begin to sour." "When I think of it today, it still gives me the creeps... like, okay, we're playing, it's just a movie... one, two, three, action!" "You can go, but it's serious." "You're there, stalking someone that you're going... to kill!" "That's something very strong and violent, the inner movement... is very violent." "The third episode is about a young couple." "You have Caio Junqueira and Lalu... who was raised in the theater, she is from Rio de Janeiro... and I think they played it very well... they added a lot of beauty to the story, a tragic beauty..." "You don't know what this means?" "Four- leaf clover!" "Luck!" "I don't care for luck." "Lalu was unbelievably brave in her commitment to her character." "This year I'll get myself a new life." "Shut up!" "You're not human!" "You're an animal!" "Why don't you kill me?" "Kill me!" "I've had my revenge!" " Me and him, we..." " No!" "It's funny, there's her nude scene, we talked about it before and... she said: "Okay, let's do it, I understood the meaning of it... but I'd rather not do it in the first day... let's leave it to the last day of shooting." "By then I'll be more... at ease with the crew"." "But due to the nature of moviemaking... and to impossibilities of other sort... it so happened we had to do it on Lalu's 1st day of shooting." "It was a pleasure to bring actors who, on other films I made... had had only supporting roles, to bring them up to leading roles." "Mr. Pereira should never have sent a collector to my house!" "Denise Weinberg had already worked with me 2 or 3 times." "Here she's Idalina, leading role in the 2nd story." "Thought you were a goner." "You might as well have stayed there." " The doc was late, the bus was slow." " So you just stood up the cows." " They're about to burst." " I'm gonna milk them now." "Do as you please!" "Chico Expedito, for instance, had been in "Doida Demais"." "We had worked together in "Doida Demais" and in "Mauá"." "Another dead black man makes no difference to me." "This time he played Altino." "When he was trying on the costume, I looked at him... he was trying on a coat or something, and I had an insight:" "this man has lost one of his arms." ""This guy has lost an arm, Chico"." "I want to get square with you, Ademir!" "I have nothing left." "What else do you want?" "What else?" "Your life." "The film's based on situations I had experienced as boss... since I was the owner of the ranch where the stories took place." "As they gave me inspiration for the film, I thought it'd be nice... if I played the role of the boss." " So you're Ademir?" " That's me, boss, sir." "I came to see how things are going." "I wrote the script, so I knew everybody's lines by heart... and I knew mine too, of course." "But I was incapable of remembering them before the camera." "I had to look at them all the time, so I put the script on my lap... but I'm familiar with the tricks of moviemaking..." "I knew when I was not on focus... and that's when I'd look down to read the lines." "There I am, that's my first experience as a movie actor." "Right." "I think the interaction between the professional actors... and the non- professional actors, in fact the farm dwellers... we can see clearly... it appears beautifully in the first story." "Augusto Pompeo, "João", and Éverson... the kid who played the part of João's son are professional actors." "But they were fit into a family... a family of local people who had 11 children." "And all the time he was there, Éverson played around with them." "At any break, they'd get together to play ball, ride bike... and so it happened that, because of this wonderful thing about kids... the farm children didn't mind the camera... they did what they had to do." "It turned out to be a game for them." "The river flowing, that boy sitting beside me..." "You'll take notes about the everyday job for me." "Tear out a sheet of paper, I'll dictate something everyday." "I think Sergio had to use all of his patience... to get that serene atmosphere... he waited and gave the actors their time... he waited for that landscape to get in balance, you know?" "I can even say I completely forgot there was a crew over there..." "We came up with a moment... of deep tenderness, real deep emotion." "Pa, ma would think it beautiful you in charge of the group." "Don't you think?" "The film put us into a predicament... me and David Tygel, a longtime movie partner." "Because even though it takes place in a rural area..." "I didn't want to use a rural song." "I didn't feel like using a country guitar, or an accordion... or what people usually see as Brazilian country music." "COMPOSER I think Sergio was very smart when he discarded such music." "It's very interesting when the director takes an active part... in the process of creation by putting the musician in a tight spot... so he won't chase down false clues." "We needed some music... that could express the characters' inner world." "I mean, what kind of sound is that?" "So David..." "I gave David a hard time... but he was wonderful." "He searched and searched and searched..." "I realized the perfect music... would not come up from a musical instrument, but from a sound." "It should be a circular sound that generated a frequency... that could be the frequency inside those people's mind." "It was very interesting..." "One day my family went out... and I went to that cupboard where is kept the chinaware... crystal glasses and such, delicate stuff nobody touches nor uses... not even in special events, they're never set to use!" "So I waited for everybody to leave and filled two glasses with... different volumes of water which rendered two different sounds... those sounds... and was fascinated by them." "So I recorded one sound, then another... and was fascinated because the result of that frequency was... a mantra- like sound, a circular sound... it was also incredibly strange and kind of unpleasant." "That became, in a sense, the source for the soundtrack of the movie." "Along with that, some other interesting sounds came up... percussion, for instance..." "I used some huge reverbs... to pass the idea that there was something deep going on... that this decision was also deep... but also that there had nothing to do with the environment... where these sounds should've been, some Japanese- like frequencies... some Japanese instruments, a Chinese flute... and the cithara!" "In two and a half minutes, we had... to take viewers completely out of city life so that they could... get mentally as far away as possible to become immersed in the story." "So I think the film was a creative effort from all of us... as if we were walking on a wire." "We'd begin the day with a project to fulfill... a risky project, maybe a impossible one..." "So I think the intensity of the brush mark... as when you paint without first having drawn a picture... without having foreseen everything, nor having organized everything... when you sometimes let chance take the lead... in our case was very pleasant... and it really embellished the film." ""ALMOST NOTHING"" "MUSIC:" "DAVID TYGEL EDITOR:" "CAETANO CARUSO" "SERGIO REZENDE EMPHASIZES DRAMATURGY IN HIS NEW FILM" "REZENDE IS BACK WITH "ALMOST NOTHING"" ""ALMOST NOTHING" OPENS FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT MOVIES" "A MOVIEMAKER BACK TO THE BASICS:" "REZENDE SETS ASIDE HIGH BUDGET" "AND HISTORICAL THEMES TO PRODUCE "ALMOST NOTHING"" "REZENDE REINVENTS HIS ART WITH "ALMOST NOTHING"" "IT'S SO TRUTHFUL IT'S ALMOST EVERYTHING" "MUCH MORE THAN NOTHING" "THE TOTALITY OF ALMOST NOTHING" "OPEN TO TRANSFORMATION" "SHORT AND DRY, BUT EPICAL" "DRAMA OF RURAL MURDERS" "MISFORTUNES OF LIFE" "FORMER 'ORNITORRINCO' AND 'TAPA' ACTORS STAR 9TH FILM BY REZENDE" ""ALMOST NOTHING" IS MADE UP OF ENVY, FEAR AND JEALOUSY" "THE GENEALOGY OF FEELINGS" "ESSENTIAL PARABLES ARE FEATURED IN FILM" "STRESSED PEASANTS ROUGH" " HEWN COUNTRYSIDE" ""ALMOST NOTHING" TAKES HUMAN SOUL TO THE SCREEN" "ALMOST EVERYTHING" ""ALMOST NOTHING" EARNS PRAISE" ""ALMOST NOTHING" IS MUCH MORE THAN ONE EXPECTS" "POETRY" "TWO-THIRDS OF ALMOST EVERYTHING" "A FILM BY SERGIO REZENDE "ALMOST NOTHING""