Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
: ''O Cheiro do Ralo'') is a 2006 Brazilian
dark comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
film based on a novel by
Lourenço Mutarelli
Lourenço Mutarelli (born April 18, 1964) is a Brazilian comic book artist, writer and actor who became well regarded in the Brazilian underground comics scene in the late 1980s and 1990s.
In addition to comic books, Mutarelli has also created ...
. It was directed by
Heitor Dhalia
Heitor Dhalia (born 18 January 1970) is a Brazilian film director and screenwriter. He has directed seven films since 1988. His film, '' À Deriva'', competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography
* '' ...
, and stars
Selton Mello
Selton Figueiredo Mello (born 30 December 1972) is a Brazilian actor and director. Since his childhood, he acted on TV shows. Now he works on TV, movies and theater. Throughout his career, he developed a strong and solid experience in cinema, pr ...
. The film was produced by Geração Conteúdo,
Primo Filmes
{{Unreferenced, date=May 2008
Primo Filmes, led by Joana Mariani, Matias Mariani and Marcelo Monteiro, has produced the feature-films ''Drained'' (O Cheiro do Ralo), ''Fabricating Tom Zé'' ( Fabricando Tom Zé) and '' 3.5 Overpass'' ( Elevado 3.5) ...
& RT Features.
Plot
Lourenço is a lonely pawn shop owner whose work made him insensitive to the suffering of those who desperately seek to sell him their personal possessions. Lourenço's insensitivity causes him to deal with the world as a collection of objects to be bought. He begins to play power games with his customers and derives pleasure from it.
Lourenço narrates the movie, and throughout the plot, he reveals his growing lust for power. The literal name of the movie ("The Smell from the Drain") refers to the persistent bad odor that comes from the restroom in Lourenço's office. Lourenço's lust for power is symbolized by this very scent. He slowly comes to realize that the stench from the drain actually comes from him.
Lourenço's life changes when he becomes infatuated with a local waitress, whose physical attributes become yet another object to him, and as with any other object, he desires to possess her. In the end, destruction prevails.
Festival career
*
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival The Festival do Rio is an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-mo ...
**Best Latin American Film ( FEPRASCI award)
**Special Jury Award
**Best Actor (
Selton Mello
Selton Figueiredo Mello (born 30 December 1972) is a Brazilian actor and director. Since his childhood, he acted on TV shows. Now he works on TV, movies and theater. Throughout his career, he developed a strong and solid experience in cinema, pr ...
)
*Mostra BR -
São Paulo International Film Festival
The São Paulo International Film Festival ( pt, Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A non-profit event, the festival is organized ...
**Best Film (Bandeira Paulista Award)
**Critic Award
**Special Mention to the Film's Cast
*International Competition at the
2007 Sundance Film Festival
The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007, in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was '' Chica ...
Robert Koehler. Drained movie review. ''Variety'' Sundance Festival reviews.