Why we recommend it
Milena Times gently tells the story of a young woman full of plans who has to deal with an unwanted pregnancy, taking time also to reflect on the presence of the characters who form her support network at this unexpected time.
Review
In her 2013 short film Au Revoir, Milena Times tells a simple story. A Brazilian woman living in France starts a friendship with her elderly neighbor who has just received a terminal diagnosis. It’s common for short films to feature dynamic language or fancy narrative elements that make their short screen time stand out in the eyes of the viewer. But Au Revoir is not like that. It’s a plot without many ambitions, surprises or twists, and made up of commonplace banalities. Two women start to live together for a while, and one of them dies. Still, it’s captivating. In directing her first feature film, Milena brings some of that same sensitivity to tell another simple, ordinary story, even if with a slightly more didactic approach.
Not Tomorrow Yet is about Janaína, an eighteen-year-old university student who lives in the suburbs of Recife with her mother, Luciana, and grandmother, Rita. We get to know her through her routine, which oscillates between the responsibilities of law school and socializing with friends. She is one of those peripheral young people full of expectations and potential, who at the same time carry the prospect of a bright future, the fruit of effort and dedication, and the pressure of escaping a life full of social obstacles and generational injustices. A few days after having sex with her boyfriend, despite having taken every precaution, Janaína discovers that she is pregnant. And she feels that all those prospects for the future are at risk. In its 76 minutes, the film is dedicated to the ways in which she deals with this unwanted scenario, internally and externally.
Milena’s direction is assured and sensible, showing the promise of an interesting career ahead. Although that same naturalness and simplicity that characterizes her way of telling stories can seem a little restrained, taking too many safe bets, bordering on cliché. I’m referring specifically to some of the visual metaphors and dream sequences she employs in the film. Like the scene in which Janaína, soon after discovering her pregnancy, walks among the bookshelves in the college library and imagines them closing in on her. Or the dream sequence in which she sees her family and friends staring at her from inside a bus. It ends up being a functional use of these images, precisely because it’s so commonplace. Much more effective is the scene in which Janaína, after researching accessible abortion methods, looks at the teas and roots hanging in some clandestine store. The movement of the camera, the sound and the lighting of the scene bring a mystical strangeness, as if she were entering a witch’s cave, to the point where it is unclear whether the scene was real or another fantasy.
Milena’s reserved approach to directing is not problematic. In a way, it reflects the mentioned simplicity of the story and boosts its nature of social realism. What’s more, all these characteristics are also represented in the good performances of the main cast. Mayara Santos brings a lot of personality to her subtle interpretation of Janaína, convincing us to feel affection and apprehension for the character even without exposing much about her in the dialogues. The movie makes the good choice of revealing more about the characters through the interaction between them. For example, the figure of Luciana (Clau Barros) plays a simultaneous role in the eyes of Janaína, who sees her mother’s immaturity as a warning, a future she needs to avoid for herself. But she also represents a safe haven in the family core she has built with Rita (Cláudia Conceição), who in turn represents a calming matriarchal presence.
The performances are gentle, lifelike and easy-going, inhabiting the streets and houses of Recife with a calm normality. Completed by Bárbara Vitória playing Kelly, Janaína’s best friend, this cast forms a support network for the protagonist in one of the most critical moments of her life. After all, the decision to terminate a pregnancy will always be difficult and painful – but it doesn’t have to be. Not if there is the presence of close people offering affection and aware strangers offering understanding.
Where to watch Not Tomorrow Yet:
Credits
Writer and Director: Milena Times
Production Companies: Espreita Filmes, Ponte Produtoras, Ventana Filmes
Production and Executive Production: Dora Amorim, Júlia Machado, Thaís Vidal
Cast: Mayara Santos, Clau Barros, Cláudia Conceição, Bárbara Vitória, Mário Victor, Guta Menelau, and Lalá Vieira
Assistant Director: Anny Stone
Casting: Bruna Leite
Acting Coach: Amanda Gabriel
Production Management: Henrique Lapa
Cinematography: Linga Acácio
Gaffer and Key Grip: Carlinhos Tareco
Art Direction: Lia Letícia
Costume Design: Libra Lima
Makeup and Hair: Andrea Afonso
Location Sound: Martha Suzana
Sound Design, Mixing, and Original Score: Nicolau Domingues – A3PS
Editing: Marina Kosa
Colorist: Brunno Schiavon
Poster Design: Diana Barros and Mayumi Matsumiya
Bruno Weber has a degree in Broadcasting from the Cásper Líbero Foundation and in Audiovisual Production from ETEC Roberto Marinho, and works as a comic artist and film critic. His work can be seen on social media, such as the series ”Unremembered Scenes from Forgotten Films”, autobiographical comic strips and various comics. He also writes film reviews for blogs such as Cinematografia Queer and the Peliplat platform, for which he covered the 48th São Paulo International Film Festival.
