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» » A Máquina (2005)

Short summary

Karina has 2 dreams: to become an actress & to see the world. Antonio is in love with her. He promises to bring the world to "Nordestina", a village in the sticks of Brazil. This backwater village has 2 population groups: those who are leaving, and those who are thinking about leaving. Antonio leaves in what appears to be a suicide crusade - openly promising on TV that he will give his Karina all she could wish for, or he'll face a deadly machine he has invented. To challenge fate, he also declares that he'll travel into the future. The day he has to make good on his promises, all "Nordestina" is there, expecting Antonio to realize his promises.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Saberblade
    In Nordestina, a village in the middle of nowhere in Pernambuco, Antônio (Gustavo Falcão) is the youngest son of his mother, who had uninterruptedly cried for five years. When he is a young man, he falls in love for Karina (Mariana Ximenes), a seventeen years old teenager that dreams to see the world and becomes an actress. Antônio promises Karina to bring the world to Nordestina, and once in Rio de Janeiro, he participates of a sensationalist television show and promises to travel to the fifty years ahead in the future or die for love with a deadly machine he had invented. Fifty years later, Antônio (Paulo Autran) tries to fix what was wrong in his travel.

    "A Máquina" is one of the best Brazilian movies I have recently seen. The refreshing and original story is a poetic and magic fable of love that will certainly thrill the most skeptical and tough viewer, in a unique romance. The direction is excellent; the screenplay is awesome; the cinematography and colors are magnificent; the cast leaded by Gustavo Falcão, the icon Paulo Autran and Mariana Ximenes is fantastic, with marvelous lines; the soundtrack has some beautiful Brazilian songs highlighting Geraldo Azevedo and Rento Rocha's "Dia Branco". If this movie is distributed overseas, please thrust me and rent it or buy the DVD because I bet you will love the story that will bring you into tears. My vote is nine.

    Title (Brazil): "A Máquina – O Combustível é o Amor" ("The Machine – The Fuel is Love")
  • comment
    • Author: Gaua
    I rented this movie, but I wasn't too sure what to expect of it. I was very glad to find that it's about the best Brazilian movie I've ever seen. The story is rather odd and simple, and above all, extremely original. We have Antonio, who is a young man living in Nordestina, a town in the middle of nowhere in the north east of Brazil, and who is deeply in love with Karina. The main conflict between the two is that, while Antonio loves his little town and has no wish to leave it, Karina wants to see the world and resents the place. As a prove of his love for her, he decides to go out himself and bring the world to her. He'll put Nordestina in the map, as he says. And the way he does it is unbelievable. This is a good movie; might be a bit stagy for some people due to its different editing job, but I think that it's also that that improves the story. It's just fun, and it makes you feel good.
  • comment
    • Author: Moralsa
    Years ago I read the book 'A Máquina' (The machine). As I re-read this little book again and again, I could never stop getting more and more fascinated by the imagination of the writer and the richness of the Brazilian culture.

    When I knew about the movie, I was really scared that someone would spoil one of my favorites books! Well, happily, my fears were unjustified and the movie is such a wonderful and delicate piece of art.

    I can't recall of any other movie that could bring tears to my eyes due to the very beauty of the text. Also I can't recall such a powerful performance like Gustavo Falcão's.

    You can see and feel how colossal his love for Karina is. You can realize that he'll move mountains and do anything for this love.

    Do see this movie, watch it thru the eyes of the kid that lives inside you, enchant yourself!
  • comment
    • Author: Munimand
    Very touching film, a great surprise to come up from Brazil, a country that usually exports features about social themes, violence, sex... Magical realism is a very hard task, and I believe João Falcão has made it wonderfully. It seems that he really didn't intend to make a realistic film, far from that. Although many people think the film was adapted from the play, he said in his interviews that he actually based the film on the book. Another mistake is to think that Falcão has been influenced by the series "Hoje é Dia De Maria". The TV series produced by Globo was made after the film, but aired before... Unfortunately.

    The negative point is the photography, by Walter Carvalho. It seems that he didn't capture or understand the concept Falcão has created. The story is captivating and universal, in spite of taking place in a tiny little city in Brazil. That could take place anywhere in the world. A great movie, I strongly recommend.
  • comment
    • Author: SING
    Let's be fair: there are no RULES for scriptwriting, so I won't say the movie SHOULD be something other than it is. I'll just state my opinion. OK, I really liked the script, the way things are told and characters are introduced. However, I think when a play is adapted to the silver screen, it could maybe try and fit this other media. Since this movie was directed by João Falcão, the same man who directed the play, it's not too much of a surprise that the film turned out a bit too theatrical. It's the man's first movie, for cryin' out-loud! What I'm saying is, there are parts in the film - like the city of Nordestina, which slightly resembles the set of "Hoje é Dia de Maria" - that feel like we're not at a movie theater. We're at the theater! Lines are spoken too formally, characters are moving choreographically, and the lightening is clearly meant for a stage. Sure, maybe that was the intention, but that's been done. On stage. Wonderful things have been made when adapting a play into a movie - the beautiful "Closer", for instance. When I went to see this one, though, I didn't feel like I was watching a movie. But overall, it was a good one, worth watching. It's a nice love story, funny at times and sad at others. My vote is a 7.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Paulo Autran Paulo Autran - Antônio no Futuro
    Gustavo Falcão Gustavo Falcão - Antônio
    Mariana Ximenes Mariana Ximenes - Karina
    Lázaro Ramos Lázaro Ramos - Doido Cético
    Vladimir Brichta Vladimir Brichta - José Onório
    Wagner Moura Wagner Moura - Homem da Televisão
    Fabiana Karla Fabiana Karla - Dona Nazaré
    Val Perré Val Perré - Valdene (Adulto)
    Prazeres Barbosa Prazeres Barbosa - Prazeres
    Osvaldo Mil Osvaldo Mil - Seu Neco
    Cristiane Ferreira Cristiane Ferreira - Maria da Graça
    Fernanda Beling Fernanda Beling - Jéssica
    Aramis Trindade Aramis Trindade - Doido da Mochila
    Edmilson Barros Edmilson Barros - Doido Discípulo
    Karina Falcão Karina Falcão - Jennifer Jackson da ZWZ3
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