She and I: Gustavo Rosa de Moura’s emotional drama shows how even the best of news can turn. It tells the story of what happens with a family when the long-in-coma mother wakes up, and how the relationships shift as she recovers. The film is anchored in the beautiful acting of its four central actors. Andrea Beltrão, as the recovering woman, effectively portrays a woman remembering and relearning about the world, in a performance where her eyes are paramount. Eduardo Moscovis, as her husband who has since moved on, creates a quietly befuddled portrait. Lara Tremouroux, as their loving daughter, is very effective and touching. Probably the best performance comes out of Mariana Lima, the new wife, a woman who didn’t quite sign on for this to happen and potentially has the most to lose. The music, both Lucas Santtana’s original score, and the songs by Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque, accentuate the emotions. Cinematographer Barbara Alvarez shoots the film beautifully, giving great intimacy to the story.

(Word to the wise: I worked on this film early in its development, when it was a very different project. As forcefully as one can say “there is no bias”, there is no bias in what I wrote above.)