London Film Festival Days 9 & 10: Nocturnal Animals, Lo And Behold, Aquarius & More
3. Aquarius
Sonia Braga gives one of the year's best and most unforgettable performances as a 60-something woman desperately fighting to maintain residence in her apartment complex which a land developer desperately wants to transform into a condo.
It's a simple premise and merely serves as ground-work for one of the most complete character studies of the year, at once heartbreaking and hilarious. While it may run a little long at 140 minutes, it's so consistently gripping that the time soon enough flies by.
It's a damn shame the film will miss out on major Oscar honours due to the movie's filmmakers denouncing the political climate in Brazil, causing the Brazilian nomination committee to discard the film, causing many other filmmakers to remove their films from the selection process in protest.
Rating: On its own terms, though, it's stunningly true to life, achingly human and superbly acted. A real gem that was unjustly robbed of major awards plaudits. 8/10