Man Of The Year Details

Rio de Janeiro, ultra-violence, platinum blond hair and a pet pig.... genius!

CITY OF GOD perfectly captured the gritty, ultra-violent realism of urban Brazil, portraying a family of characters brought together with a common goal of surviving at any cost in the Brazilian favelas (shantytowns).

MAN OF THE YEAR could almost be a sequel. Focusing on one individual, Maquiel, a disillusioned and handsome young man played with subtlety and passion by Murilo Benicio. The desperate limitations of his existence play out on screen as Maquiel makes a brief, dramatic mistake that causes his life to spiral dramatically out of control, with alarming speed.

The cinematography is stunning. However, the greatest achievement is the immediate connection you feel with the central character. He remains sympathetic throughout the movie, even during his worst actions. It's the most impressive performance I've seen in years. The stylised violence is dramatic but always realistic (notably, attempts at gun control are currently being implemented in Brazil) and is balanced by scenes of honest, emotional depth that make the characters come alive. There's clearly a huge divide between the interpretation of 'action' in Hollywood and Brazil and MAN OF THE YEAR has a sharp, kinetic visual energy that's certain to be a 'source of inspiration' for future American film-makers. A rollercoaster ride, visually and emotionally.

If you're thinking of dying your hair platinum blonde, check out this movie. Pray it works out better for you.

[Highly rated reviewer]

When killing is the answer to everything

Miquel dyes his hair blonde, asks the hairdresser out and then takes exception when Saul, a local thug, verbally humiliates him while he’s out on his first date. So Miquel broods over this and then shoots him, only to find this act has earned him respect and celebrity in his locality. But he is also in demand to deal with others in this terminal manner.

It’s another gritty portrayal of Rios violent underbelly and yet another movie showing us that one random act of violence can spiral quickly out of control and lead to many more. Man Of The Year does this more convincingly and less sensationally than most and it’s compelling watching Miquel transform from a man who barely knows which end of the gun to point at first to the cold blooded implacable killer who shoots people with the bored indifference of a canvasser pushing another doorbell.

The film also shows that to someone like Miquel, violence quickly becomes the answer to every problem and that human lives mean nothing. He shows more affection to a piglet than anyone. The pace of the movie is quite studious, with seams of coal black humour, indeed if anything it’s a little mono-paced and Miquel is so self absorbed and listless for much of the time he’s ineffective and slightly lacking credibility as a killer. Still this is another fine South American movie showing life for the underprivileged masses as it probably really is.