Possible Loves

This lovely Brazilian film is about the different roads a man's love life can take. It follows 3 separate possible lifelines. Each runs concurently in intercutting scenes, so you could be confused if you don't pay attention, especially as they all involve the same 2 main characters. The events branch off from one crucial moment in the young man's life - being stood-up by a date.

In one life he goes on to marry another woman and ends up in a loveless marriage. In another he remains a bachelor playboy still living with his mother after 15 years. In these first 2 scenarios, he meets again the girl who stood him up, after a span of 15 years and we get to see what happens. In the third scenario, he actually marries the girl who stood him up but then deserts her for a gay man. The girl (his wife) then tries to win him back. The different outcomes in the 3 storylines suggest that maybe there isn't that special "someone" out there; that our lives and our loves are just shaped by the chance circumstances we find ourselves in; that we can fall in love with other people just as easily as the ones we eventually end up with.

This film deserves 5 stars or more but this DVD is such a disappointment. I've never seen this in the theater but according to IMdB this movie was released in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (very wide). This DVD however presents a fullscreen version. To convert such a widescreen image to fullscreen entails cropping out a lot of the picture from both edges of the frame. And I believe this was in fact Panned-&-Scanned (actually cutting up the image) and not an open-matte version because the compositions look positively cramped in some scenes. The opening credits are in fact letterboxed to about 1.66:1 so as not to cut off the credits.

My disappointment stems from the fact that this was released by TLA, and I had formed a good impression of TLA having just watched another DVD released by them, the Serbo-Croatian romance "Loving Glances", which had been given a beautiful anamorphic transfer in its original widescreen aspect ratio. So how did this release end up in fullscreen? That said, the picture quality, even in this fullscreen mutilation, judged in terms of color, sharpness and contrast is admirable.

Another complaint for this DVD is that the English subtitles are burned directly onto the print in bright yellow lettering and cannot be turned off. Granted, not many people understand Portuguese but then not many people understand Serbo-Croatian either, so why optional subtitles for one and not the other? Some people don't like ugly subtitles marring the screen. Especially when the English translations aren't all that good in the first place.

The last gripe is that the end credits are cut off halfway. This happens in both these films from TLA. This is especially bad because both films have lovely songs at the end that are rudely cut. I suppose TLA thinks it can treat its customers so shabbily because it's one of the few distributors to bring in foreign films. Sad.

Hats off to TLA Releasing, which is burning onto DVD worthwhile independent films that most of us would not have the chance to catch outside of a film festival. "Possible Loves" is one of those.

If you like films like "Sliding Doors" that show you various possible life scenarios, then this is for you. Carlos is stood up in a movie theater, and we get to follow three possible life stories that branch out from that one event.

What really grounds the comedy-drama is the exceptional performance of Murilo Benicio as Carlos. He succeeds in making his character distinct in all three scenarios, and he's both hilarious and touching. He's amazing -- not to mention, exceedingly handsome. The supporting actors are also wonderful.

If you don't like the ragged look of some independent films, there's no need to worry about that here. The movie is beautifully directed and filmed (except for a couple of indoor scenes), and it captures some breathtaking Rio settings.

Possible Loves (Amores Possiveis) is a fascinating Brazilian film which could only have come out of a production company far from the Hollywood movie mills. Impossibly handsome Brazilian actor Murilo Benicio stars as Carlos. He has arranged to meet Julia (Carolina Ferraz) at a move theater one rainy night in Rio De Janiero, but she never shows up. As the two meet again fifteen years later, the movie splinters into three possible scenarios as to what happened to Carlos in the intervening years. One scenario theorizes what would have happened if Carlos had married, a second looks at Carlos's life as a confirmed bachelor, and the third explores Carlos after he discovers his identity as a gay man. It is this third scenario which makes the film stand out from English speaking films with similar themes. Hollywood would never have the guts to include a realistic, non-homophobic gay-positive scenario in an otherwise straight-oriented romantic film. This Brazilian treat allows for the possibility that Carlos could just as easily find happiness with another man as with a woman, without denigrating his identity or masculinity. In all three scenarios, Carlos is an intelligent, charming man with fully-realized relationships with those around him. This is top notch filmmaking from start to finish - writing, directing, acting, sets and locations, cinematography - all excellent by any standards. I highly recommend it for gay film buffs, as well as mixed groups and open-minded straight folks.