Os Desafinados (Out of Tune)

Still recovering from the premier night of the Museum of  Modern Art's 6th annual Brazilian Film festival, Premier Brazil, held July 17th - 28th, instruments of Bossa Nova are still strumming their tune in the wavelengths of Theater 1 and its filled seats.  Ilda Santiago, director of the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival introduced film director Walter Lima, Jr. and translated his Portuguese to English while he told us about his new film.  His English voice said he was nervous.  Ilda said it was an honor to translate for him.  When folks translate, I often wonder about their objectivity, but since half the audience seemed to undersvtand both, I imagine Ilda took her honor seriously.

Lima's goal seemed to be clear that Os Desafinados is not a film about Bossa Nova, nor is it a collection of musician's biographies from the Bossa Nova period.  Instead, his translation said, "it is a film about friends and friendship."  I couldn't agree more.  Os Desafinados was a beautifully structured introduction to a group of friends collectively growing up, living life, falling in love, and simultaneously being caught in the center of an historic movement that rattled the world and transformed Brazil.  Director Walter Lima, Jr. presents to international audiences this national portrait, Os Desafinados  (Slightly Out of Tune), of Brazil in the 60's and 70's during the climate of political turmoil through the lens of friends who just wanted to make music, and dispel messages through film.

Originally receiving it's North American premiere at the 2008 Guadalajara Film Festival, Os Desafinados is a story of the rekindling of a well-respected Brazilian music group named Os Desafinados, decades after a military coup during political turmoil broke the group apart.  The death of Gloria (Claudia Abreu), the band's vocalist whom the initial members met and crashed with on a trip to NYC to chase their dreams, is the catalyst that led the group to reconnect and led the film to reflect on a two-hour flashback of Brazilian youth. Joaquim (Rodrigo Santoro) leads this rhythmically alluring group while falling in love with Gloria, alongside the band's sax player, Davi (Angelo Paes Leme).  The drama ensues because Joaquim's wife, Luiza (Alessandra Negrini) waits for him in their Brazilian home, with a growing belly. The group develops recognition at the height of political turmoil and simultaneously dissipates when Joaquim is abducted as a political prisoner. 

Appropriately, 2008 is a big year for Bossa Nova!  Brazil, still in it's celebratory 50th year of this genre of music; Rio de Janeiro had organized a free concert on the beach on Saturday, March 1^st.  The sounds of the beach waves hitting the low rocks and clean sand were the first moments of the 2-bar, cha-chaca, cha-chaca to hit the screen.  Immediately, smoothly played grooves, reminiscent of mid-century jazz and bossa nova classics set the tone for this passion-filled scenic ride.  Because military rule did not end in Brazil until 1985, the pressure for music to stand as the voice of a subdued people was eloquently mapped without being the central focus of this film. An example is showing one of the band-members, Geraldo (Jair de Oliveira), a Pardo Brazilian laying in a Manhattan apartment, cuddled in the arms of a white French woman while Martin Luther King laments "I have a dream" in the black & white, 13-inch to their bedside.  His urgency to rise was to practice the next song. Instead of dramatic political commentary, Lima used subtle intonations to dispel the ways in which politics could completely render the spirits of a generation who was, instead, enthralled by their soft base and high pitch vocals.  In Os Desafinados, music, not politics was this generation's hot, hot sex!

What is Bossa Nova?

If there were only two points in the world, one below and above your ear, then palm an enclosed bag of beans, and aim to hit alongside one after the other in repetition.  You have rhythm -cha-chaca, cha-chaca, cha-chaca- Brazilian style!  In two parts.  

Shawnta Smith is a high school teacher and librarian.  You may reach her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it