Aquarius

For decades, Clara has been living in her apartment right on the beach in Recife, at the very Eastern tip of Brazil. But then that little paradise is threatened. A real-estate shark wants to build a high-rise on the site and has already acquired all of the apartments in her building – only Clara refuses to sell, de-spite her children's advice to the contrary. The widow almost single-handedly takes up the fight against speculation and corruption. NEIGHBORING SOUNDS director Kleber Mendonça Filho again delivers an impressive panorama of Brazilian society. AQUARIUS is also the sensitive portrayal of a woman unwilling to lose her pride and autonomy at an old age. Brazilian superstar Sonia Braga (KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN) is a perfect choice to play the former music critic Clara. Though the action plays out in narrow confines, her charisma and screen presence make Aquarius a great film on a grander scale.