Synopsis
In a small Brazilian seaside town we follow the efforts of Paula, who is pregnant of her third child, to build a pool in her humble beach house, so the family can enjoy the rest of their vacation. Financial difficulties will interrupt the work and reveal certain aspects of a tense family routine, full of small frustrations.
Where to watch The Joy of Things:
Like other projects produced by Filmes de Plástico, The Joy of Things feels like a documentary when it comes to the realism of the situations depicted and the performances of its actors. With a great ability to evoke nostalgic memories of teenage vacations on the coasts of the state of São Paulo (the story takes place in Caraguatatuba), the film has a cast that seems to have come from the same house for the shootings, such is their ability to scenically represent a family nucleus.
Paula (Patrícia Saravy), the overwhelmed mother of the pre-teen Gustavo (Messias Gois), the little girl Gabi (Lavinia Castelari) and pregnant with another girl, struggles to be able to afford a swimming pool in the house where she spends her vacations with her children and her mother Antônia (Magali Biff). A personal desire that was once shared by everyone, and also a stubborn resistance in favor of her own desire. The husband and father is never seen, an absence that grows with each character’s development.
Alternating between boredom and the eagerness for something to happen, the family clashes at moments when the members decide to fight for their own ambitions of being free or being noticed. Made up of these small conflicts in human relationships and subtle transformations, the debut feature by filmmaker Thais Fujinaga (The Mai Brothers, 2013) manages to resonate with an immense Brazil by understanding and reproducing intimate family dynamics that end up touching different generations.
Between going to a non-paradisiacal beach and leading the construction work, Paula decides that the “half-empty” pool would now be full, even if only on her own and with water from the neighboring house’s well. It’s a brief moment of happiness that is rewarding for the characters and the audience, the kind that can produce lasting memories.
Why we recommend it
The film discusses motherhood from the point of view of two generations (Paula and her mother), while exploring family relationships from a perspective that may be nostalgic and relatable for many viewers.
Credits
• Format: Feature / Fiction
• Runtime: 1h 21min
• Year: 2021
• Country: Brasil
• Language: Português-Brasileiro
• Genre: Drama
• Production Company: Filmes de Plástico
• Coproduction: Lira Cinematográfica
• Distribuitor: Embaúba Filmes
• Director and Writer: Thais Fujinaga
• Producers: Thiago Macêdo Correia e Lara Lima
• Cast: Patricia Saravy, Magali Biff, Messias Barros Góis e Lavínia Castelari
• Casting: Alice Wolfenson
• Cinematography: André Luiz de Luiz
• Production Design: Dicezar Leandro
• Editing: Alexandre Taira
• Color Grading: João Paulo Geraldo
• Sound: Rubén Valdés, Vitor Moraes e Gustavo Nascimento
• Original Soundtrack: Dudinha Lima
