Something in the Air | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Helvécio Ratton |
Produced by | Simone Magalhães Matos |
Written by | Helvécio Ratton Jorge Durán |
Starring |
Alexandre Moreno Adolfo Moura Babu Santana Benjamin Abras |
Music by | Gil Amancio |
Cinematography | José Tadeu Ribeiro |
Edited by | Mair Tavares |
Production
company |
Quimera Filmes
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Distributed by | Mais Filmes |
Release date
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Running time
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92 minutes |
Country | Brazil |
Language | Portuguese |
Budget | R$1.75–1.8 million |
Box office | R$153,644 |
Something in the Air (Portuguese: Uma Onda no Ar) is a 2002 Brazilian drama film directed by Helvécio Ratton. It is based on the actual history about Rádio Favela, a community radio broadcaster established in Aglomerado da Serra, a favela of Belo Horizonte in the 1980s. It shows how it was persecuted by the police while four friends try to keep the radio. Alexandre Moreno, Adolfo Moura, Babu Santana and Benjamim Abras were chosen to star the film after 3,000 people tried for their roles. It was shot in Aglomerado da Serra and used about 300 of the local people as extras.
Something in the Air won the Jury Special Award and Alexandre Moreno was award the Best Actor at the 2002 Gramado Film Festival. It won a Special Mention in the Best Ibero-American Film category at the 2003 Miami International Film Festival. Moreover, these awards, the films was also well received by critics. American Film Institute's magazine AFI Preview praised the "charismatic performances" and its "terrific photography and music." Mariane Morisawa of IstoÉ Gente and José Geraldo Couto of Folha de S. Paulo called it a counterpart of Fernando Meirelles' City of God as it focuses on the good things of a favela in opposition to the violence depicted in Meirelles' film. Morisawa praised the actors but labeled its screenplay and editing "somewhat loose" which makes it "just nice" and "dilutes the strength of its message." Although he praised its music, Couto stated that it fails with its dialogues and supporting cast. He pointed that City of Godd may triumph over Something in the Air in technical aspects but that it may hide its "moral emptiness"; Couto would like to see a film that is technically great, as Meirelles' one, and that has an "ethical-political commitment" as Ratton's film.