A new wave of movies is once again reshaping the so called idea of ‘avant-garde independent cinema’. No, we are not going backwards in time, living again in the sixties, when the feeling of ‘new’ and ‘fresh’ and ‘alive’ was packaged by French innovators like Godard or Truffaut, who conquered audiences through small movies carrying big hearts and souls. The sixties are long gone and the nouvelle vague of our days doesn’t speak French anymore and nor does it speak English.
Fortunately enough, there are other countries talking the ‘independent’ language. The whole South American continent, with its puzzle of countries and cultures, is giving birth to movies that matter, and Brazil is one of the new movie nations that speaks loud and clear. The latest example is Lower City, the second feature film of Sergio Machado, who used to be director assistant for Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, Central Station). Salles is the producer of this film which belongs to a genre of movies that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. You don’t want to forget what has occurred before your eyes, not so much as in the terms of action, but more in on the film’s emotional output. And the driving force for those emotions is Alice Braga, who plays Karinna, a young hooker engaged in a triangle love story with Lazaro Ramos (Deco) and Wagner Moura (Naldinho), two best friends in real life and in the picture. Until they meet Karinna.
The movie is set in Bahia, made famous by the unmistakable music of Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso or their latest inherit, Carlinhos Brown, author of the score of the film. It’s one of the most sensual parts of a country that it’s almost a continent in itself and its presence is so strong that it almost becomes the fourth character of the movie. Karinna, Deco and Naldinho bring their three solitudes together when they immerse themselves in a passionate and infectiously interdependent relationship. Their casual encounter evolves into an explosion of sweaty and sensual sex, sharpened by the lenses of DP Toca Seabra, (definitely someone to watch closely) that takes over their lives, propelling them into a dangerous game of love and jealousy with a painful and, thank god, not predicable end.
She seems to be following the path and pointing towards Hollywood as her famous aunt, Sonia Braga. In person, the sweet, 22 year-old actress that Americans should get used to seeing on their screens has an energy and sincere smile that transmits the freshness of the newcomer. She doesn’t have any make up on her, neither fancy clothes, nor fancy hair. With long brown hair and traces of her past as a blond bombshell in Lower City, what makes her a rare gem is perhaps what she reveals about herself. Garbed with a skirt and shoes without the high heels, she looks as natural and as real as her words in the kingdom of fakeness – “the movie business”.
She started her acting career in commercials before following in the footsteps of her mother who has been working in the trade for many years already. Fernando Meirelles directed her in a few of those commercials, but soon offered her a much bigger role as ‘the girl’ of City of God. After the movie was nominated for four Oscars and won prizes around the world, her career took off. She is the main character in the Mexican Solo Dios Sabe (still due out in the U.S) and plays a big role in the American Journey to the End of the Night, directed by Eric Eason, one of the most promising young american directors (he got some of the best reviews at the past Tribeca Film Festival). Alice became Karinna thank to Walter Salles, who spoke about her to Machado, and the first thing he did to her is change her hair color. I met in New York a few weeks ago with Alice – here is that interview:
Alice Braga
Question: Was it important for your character to be blond?
Alice Braga: I knew I had to change completely, be a completely different person. Lots of girls dye their hair in Bahía. It was almost a documentary-vision of the area where we wanted her to be from. It helps a lot because you look into the mirror every morning and it is not you. And it was such a part of the character that brings out of you something new. When I read the script, I was impressed and I thought this is a challenge.
Q: You have spoken about how important was your acting coach for this movie. What does she do that is so special?
AB: Her name is Fatima Toledo and her method put the character feelings into your body so you work a lot with body exercises. You work with the seduction and sensuality of the body and we did a lot of singing exercises. Her work is really sensorial, brings characters feelings into your on body so after you have them inside you can put them out.
Q: Was it difficult to shake yourself out of the character once shooting stopped?
AB: No because she works about how to get into it and out. During the shooting I tried to not go far from the character, I tried to be completely connected with her all the time but when I left to go home every day I needed to leave Karinna on set, otherwise it would have been too intense.
Q: Is she close to you somehow?
AB: It is really far away from what I’ve done until now and from what I am but I have brought some sweetness to the character, even if she is a hooker. I believe that even with all the sexuality that she shows there is something pure about her, she is not vulgar.
Q: Where you worried about playing a character so risky (a lot of sex…) so early in your career?
AB: I wasn’t worried about that. The only thing I was worried about it was the challenge of portraying someone like her. The challenge was huge but not regarding exposing myself, but regarding the acting. I really wanted to do it because she is such a strong character to portray that even if she is a hooker and there is nudity it’s a great character to be involved with. It was a great opportunity to try to do my best. I knew it was risky but I also knew that it would go beyond the sex and the nudity and the sexual relationship to become something deeper than that.
Q: Brazilian people has a healthier relationship with sex compared with the rest of South American countries. Brazilians don’t seem to associate “dirtiness” with sex, as other countries do. Do you feel Lower City could have taken place only in Brazil?
Sergio always says that it could have happened to all kind of people but the level of passion and sensuality is definitely Brazilian and specifically from Bahia, which is a really sensual state in Brazil. There is ‘malizia’, seduction, sensuality in the way bahianos live, in the way they talk… every thing is about the dancing, the body… I think is definitely from that area but the love story could have happened everywhere.
Apparently Sergio Machado is a lover of French movies where communication among human beings is the main thing. In this film it seems that the communication is done through sex…
I think Sergio wanted to show the sensuality of the sexuality. The letting it be the way that you feel it. In Bahía they don’t have shyness, if they are horny, they look for sex. But this movie is not only about sex. It is about taking care and being taken care of. The three characters are lonely. She has nobody and when she falls in love she does it with both because she falls in love for their friendship. She couldn’t choose from one of the other. I believe Sergio wanted to portray young people from nowadays. There are a lot of Karinas in Bahia. He also wanted to have real human beings, with a lot of feelings.
Q: Did you always wanted to be an actress?
AB: I grew up going to sets because my mom used to be an actress. I knew I wanted to work in cinema but I couldn’t figure out in which part of the movies. I love movies and I thought that maybe I wanted to work doing them and not just acting in them. I started to do theater in school, taking courses, I did some commercials for fun, and then I did a short film, “Trampolin”. After that I worked with Fernando Meirelles in advertising and then he invited me to do Cidade de Deus (aka City of God). The moment I started to feel the character and put the soul into it I knew I wanted to be an actress.
Q: Was Sonia any influence in your career?
AB: Sonia left Brazil when I was born. We were always in touch, she visited us and we visited her. But in my day to day life nothing was related to her, it was much more related to my mom. Sonia was always abroad so she couldn’t give me any advice. But it is great to have someone in the family that works in the same field than you. She influenced me just by being a good actress and becoming well known for her work.
Q: You just worked in an American movie, Journey to the End of the Night. Are you looking to get into Hollywood like her?
AB: I don’t know, I am trying to open doors. I have been really lucky for taking part in movies that are coming out. Here the industry is so strong that if the doors would open for me I would love to get in but I wanna also do movies in Brazil, in México, Argentina… Whatever country is doing cinema, I would love to be part of it.
Q: What were your first impressions about Hollywood?
AB: It is a funny place because everybody is like sharks. They get into it, agents, journalists, everybody. It is a different culture than mine and a different way of work, I learned a lot.
Q: What are you going to do next?
AB: I have many scripts in my hands right now but I still have to choose. I want to keep making movies, I would like to work in a play in Brazil and I also want to take acting lessons in New York.
Palm Pictures releases Lower City (Cidade Baixa) on June 16th in New York and June 30th in Los Angeles with a wider release to occur in the weeks to come.