The Ballroom (Portuguese: Chega de Saudade) is a 2007 Brazilian-French[2] romantic drama film directed by Laís Bodanzky. The action is set in a dance hall (gafieira) in São Paulo, frequented by elderly people.

The Ballroom
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLaís Bodanzky
Written byLuiz Bolognesi
Produced by
  • Laís Bodanzky
  • Caio Gullane
  • Fabiano Gullane
  • Débora Ivanov
Starring
CinematographyWalter Carvalho
Edited byPaulo Sacramento
Music byEduardo Bid. Additional music : "C'est si bon" by Henri Betti (1947)
Production
companies
  • Gullane Filmes
  • Buriti Filmes
Distributed byBuena Vista International
Release dates
Running time
92 minutes
CountriesBrazil
France
LanguagePortuguese
Box officeR$1,591,603[1]

Cast

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Reception

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David Parkinson of The Guardian called it a "quirky ensemble piece", and praised it for being "superbly choreographed."[3] Daily Express's Allan Hunter labeled it as "bittersweet" and gave a rating 3 out of 5, saying "If Robert Altman had ever made a film about an old-fashioned dance hall it might have looked something like The Ballroom."[4] Writing for the Evening Standard, Derek Malcom commended it by affirming: "If the film doesn't always convince, it has some wonderful moments. Bodanzky’s sympathy with his characters is obvious — and the music is as much an attraction as the series of stories we are told about them."[5] On the other hand, David Jenkins from Time Out gave a more negative review, stating "this wannabe-steamy film never manages to generate any dramatic heat because it spreads itself far too thinly across its oversized and mundane cast."[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Filmes Brasileiros Lançados - 1995 a 2012" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Ancine. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  2. ^ Cajueiro, Marcelo (May 15, 2008). "Brazilian helmers on the horizon". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  3. ^ Parkinson, David. "The top 10 films of 2009 you probably won't have seen". The Guardian. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  4. ^ Hunter, Allan (July 2, 2010). "The Ballroom: Film review". Daily Express. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  5. ^ Malcom, Derek (July 2, 2010). "The Ballroom has some wonderful moments". Evening Standard. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  6. ^ Jenkins, David (June 29, 2010). "The Ballroom". Time Out. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
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