Saudosa Maloca: Pedro Serrano’s film is an extension of his own short, building around the work of Adoniran Barbosa (the director is becoming somewhat of a one-trick pony, as his three credits are the aforementioned short, this feature, and a fabulous documentary about Adoniran). The film uses pieces of Adoniran’s songs, including his most famous characters, verses, and situations, to create a single universe, all inspired by the São Paulo of old. It worked well in the short, but the feature bloats the whole, making it meandering and a bit inconsequential. It also drops overboard a crucial element: Adoniran was an inspired storyteller as evidenced in his lyrics, but the music itself, with his hoarse voice and broken Portuguese, was what made the stories so memorable. The film skirts away from the music, for the most part, which feels like a mistake.

The film is well put together, nevertheless: art director Claudia Terçarolli creates a credible environment for the film, nicely captured by cinematographer Lito Mendes Da Rocha’s elegant and interesting lensing. Acting is fine but far from special: Paulo Miklos plays the protagonist and sings some, but the voice is hard to emulate; Gero Camilo and Gustavo Machado play his two friends, the second one leaning heavily and entertainingly into the Italian-Portuguese accent of the neighborhood. Leilah Moreno is charming as the smart and hard-working waitress everyone loves.