Reminiscent of Alfonso Cuarón's Roma in its depiction of an upper-class surrounded by domestic servants, like that film, I could watch almost any interaction and enjoy something in its framing, tone and atmosphere. But for all Aquarius' visual sublety and the gentle inventiveness of the editing, it's a huge shame that the underlying plot is rendered so bluntly.
Indeed, taken scene-by-scene, it's a great film. But taken as a whole, it comes across as a paradoxically 'prestige' but shallow kind of "you go gurl" narrative. Yes, Sônia Braga is doing superb work as an avatar of a certain tendency in Brazilian culture, and the way she 'wins' every scene with poise and grace can be satisfying to watch. Moreover, we desperately need more heroines in contemporary cinema. But eventually one starts to believe that this film is determined to make something of a martyr out of her, and the viewer starts to feel both patronised and cornered into liking her.
Of course, it is up to the viewer to determine whether they believe it is Aquarius itself that is juvenile, or that by depicting Clara in that way, the film is critiquing her and those like her. But there were just too many problems for me to lean towards the latter. The deux ex machina of those documents is too obvious an example, so take instead the film's cack-handed criticism of millennials with their 'MP3s' and superficial journalism. Does anyone really write shallow articles like that? (An article, which was, after all, simply to setup the depiction of Clara completely ignoring what they write). And, of course, the final sequence's reach for a satisfying comeuppance just felt exploitative and glib. What a shame.
[Director] Mendonça Filho merges two distinct tonalities: inviting, empathetic romanticism and subtly submerged criticality that leaves the slightest copper aftertaste of bitterness. [He] fashions a metaphor for contemporary social unrest, then, showing how younger generations regard baby boomers as having enjoyed opportunities unavailable to them, and are now gobbling up or holding on to whatever resources remain. [For] the vistas of Recife itself, [Filho] often covers [them[ in long Kubrick-ean zooms that are acknowledged by a strategically placed poster of Barry Lyndon.
— Chuck Bowen (Slant Magazine)
Synopsis: Clara, a vibrant former music critic and widow with flowing tresses is the only remaining apartment owner in a beautiful older building targeted for demolition by ruthless luxury high-rise developers. Clara proves to be a force to be reckoned with as she thwarts the builders plans to kick her out of the apartment.