Me You Them

One aspect of the plot that is interesting, is Darlene the main character bears each man in her life a son, except for her legal husband. This has some fullfilling effect on these men. Her husband on the other hand, emasculated in a sense, in the end does what he can to preserve some vestige of his manhood and status.

I love movies that take me somewhere. This movie is beautifully shot, yielding many scenes of its stark beauty, but it by no means romanticizes. The setting is of a vast dry land. It is hot. They live in mud houses (Of course this appealed to me in look and practicality.). Everyone sleeps in hammocks.

The people, though very poor and unglamorous--to me this made them genuinely beautiful--have a rough life. Darlene, the main character must work, even when pregnant harvesting in the cane fields.

After watching Central Station and a couple other Brazilian movies, I wonder if poverty is a key ingredient in Brazilian cinema. However, these films are hardly exploitative and pity-inducing. This is especially true with 'Me, You and Them'. Poverty is a strong backdrop to this movie, however, the film does not allow it to overtake the overall tone of the film. Behind the poverty, there is a prevailing sense of life. The richness of life exists whether one is rich or poor. This film does well in presenting this aspect while telling an ordinary story about a life of ordinary woman in perhaps an extraordinary circumstance.

The movie does not employ fancy plotlines. There are not many peaks and valleys within the story and it is pretty consistent throughout. In fact, a person unwilling to take a peek at somebody else's life, as mundane as it might be, would probably fall asleep before the end of the first half of the film. In its simplicity, though, lies a beauty. Much of the beauty lies with the fact that the film is impartial and holds back its verdicts. Darlene's conduct might be seen as immoral, then again looking at her circumstances, couldn't it be justified? The film is unwilling to pass any judgments. Even the ending does not suggest much, avoiding the cause and effects type of storytelling.

The cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. Like every other aspect of the film, it doesn't seek for the grandeurs. As a result, there is a certain raw, stark quality to the images while still capturing the beauty of arid Brazil.

If you are a lover of international cinema, you do not want to miss this one. You might finish the movie none the wiser, however, you will definitely be 'cinematically richer'.

It's about Darlene's search for happiness in a dismal place -- where poverty is widespread & the land is barren. It also shows why people create relationships & why they stick to it for various reasons. Initially fooled & disillusioned by 1st love, Darlene wises up to accept a marriage proposal from Osias for security purposes (house & pension fund), in lieu of romance. Being ordered around, she feels further helpless in her seemingly 'impotent' husband & finds love & respect in the arms of Zozhino, Osias' cousin. Things would have been better but passion comes in, in the guise of Ciro, Darlene's co-worker.

Let us just say this film is not so ordinary despite its almost barren setting. All these characters & their children live under one roof, & how they all get along, is something worth watching & analyzing. The seemingly indifferent Osias brings with him a certain tension & what he does at the end is something to ponder about.