Fans of the acclaimed Brazilian drama CITY OF GOD will detect more than a passing influence on SÓCRATES, which is apt as the film has been Executive Produced by that film’s director Fernando Meirelles.
SÓCRATES depicts a different community, that of the fringes of São Paulo as seen through the eyes of Socrates (Christian Malheiros) , a troubled 15-year old who is traumatised by the recent death of his mother, for whom he has had to cover at work despite being underage. His relationship with his father isn’t much better and he is determined to make his way in the world he increasing finds himself at odds with.
His frustration and anger boil over whilst working at a junk yard, where he fights with fellow worker Maicon (Tales Ordakji) but the two begin to form an uneasy bond that borders on love and passion. However, his fragmented existence, coupled with the fact that he is three years off legal age to do anything about it, start to increasingly impact his well-being and the relationships and stability that he clearly desires to do good again….
Directed by Alexandre Moratto from a script he co-wrote with Thayná Mantesso, SÓCRATES is a heart-breaking and sensitive portrayal of a teenage boy coming to terms with a whole variety of issues. At a mere seventy-one minutes in length, it is also at times a slight, but attentive piece, which certainly could warrant an expansion of some of the relationships and issues the film faces up to.
SÓCRATES is dedicated to the memory of the director’s mother, Maria Eugênia Moratto – and in spite of the grittiness of the location and visuals, well shot by Cinematographer Joāo Gabriel De Queiroz, there is a sense that the director loved his mother as much as the location and homestead he depicts.
Produced by a crew of 16-20 year olds at the Querõ Institute, supported by UNICEF and focusing on providing film-making opportunities to individuals from low-income families in the Baixada Santista District of São Paulo, SÓCRATES is an admirable achievement, created with realistic desire and fervour.
The impact of Meirelles as a co-producer of the film will certainly help its’ chances internationally and will open people’s eyes to a story that reflects not just the locality here, but everywhere else in these troubled, uncertain times.
SÓCRATES opens in Los Angeles on August 9, 2019 and will be available on DVD & VOD from August 20, 2019.
