Ação Entre Amigos (1998)

Director:

Beto Brant

Writers:

Marçal Aquino (screenplay)
Marçal Aquino (story)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Até onde seus amigos estão com você?

Plot:

Brazil in the early 70s. Miguel, Eloi, Osvaldo and Paolo take part in armed attacks against the military dictatorship...

Plot Keywords:

Brazil | Torture | Revenge | Old Friends | 1960s

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Leonardo Villar	...	Correia
Zé Carlos Machado	...	Miguel
Cacá Amaral	...	Elói
Carlos Meceni	...	Paulo
Genésio de Barros	...	Osvaldo
Melina Anthís	...	Lúcia
Rodrigo Brassoloto	...	Young Miguel
Sergio Cavalcante	...	Young Elói
Herberson Hoerbe	...	Young Paulo
Douglas Simon	...	Young Osvaldo
José Mayer
Fernando Torres	...	Hugo Assis

Also Known As:

Friendly Fire (USA)
Strzelajac do przyjaciól (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

76 min | Argentina:76 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Barra Bonita, São Paulo, Brazil

Company:

Dezenove Som e Imagem

Friends come to terms with the truth of their past

ACAO ENTRE AMIGOS (Friendly Fire) is best described by its English title. The Brazilian media has called it a realistic response to FOUR DAYS IN SEPTEMBER (O que e isso, companheiro?)the 97/98 Oscar-nom viewed by many in Brazil as a Hollywood production masquerading as a Brazilian film romanticizing the victims of the the military dictatorship. Knowing that in advance, I still found it very clear that "Friendly Fire" was indeed a more balanced, contemporary and real visit to Brazil's recent past. The view of the armed opposition by the middle to upper class students is served straight up here, not resorting to tear-jerking cliches of innocent, ill-fated Bohemian victims. It seems the latter results in better Box Office results, but nevertheless director Breto Brant who also adapted Marcal de Aquino's "Acao entre amigos" for the screen, tells it like it was more often than not, and this "risk" seems very successful. The film, at 78 minutes, is short, to the point, and action-packed. It takes place today as four friends are traveling for a "fishing trip" where the catch is their torturer 25 or so years ago, now living under another identity after having been declared dead by authorities. Through flashbacks, the films reconstructs each character's ordeals during those terrible years. But, what they don't realize until the end is that a secret yet unknown will drastically change the reality of the story they lived together 25 years ago. Its tragic consequences will alter the lives of all involved in the story. A good, CREDIBLE political thriller/buddy drama.