Marighella (2021)

Written by r96sk on January 10, 2023

A tad slower than I would've liked, though 'Marighella' is still very good.

Seu Jorge puts in a noteworthy performance throughout, all the more impressive given acting isn't his bread and butter. I also enjoyed Bruno Gagliasso in this, not his character of course but the actor's showing is good. The rest of the cast, e.g. Humberto Carrão and Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, merit praise too.

I can't say I knew anything about Carlos Marighella (surname did ring a slight bell beforehand, mind) or even much about this era of Brazil, which is something I actually prefer as I like to judge a film as a film and not having prior knowledge only helps that. Therefore, I wouldn't know how truthful this biopic is or isn't but I will say it doesn't hold much back - there are some very rough scenes scattered across the near 3hrs.

Speaking of the run time, I do think it's ever so slightly overlong - I was never pining for the finish or anything close to that, but there are a few moments where I felt the film could've sped itself up a bit. It's not a true criticism of mine, though.