''Reaching for the Moon'' ( pt, Flores Raras, "Rare Flowers") is a 2013 Brazilian

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, written by Julie Sayres and Matthew Chapman, directed by

Bruno Barreto Bruno Villela Barreto Borges (born 16 March 1955) is a Brazilian film director. Biography Born in Rio de Janeiro, Barreto has been making feature-length films ever since he was 17 years old and remains one of Brazil's most accomplished and pop ...

. The film is based on the book ''Flores Raras e Banalíssimas'' (in English, ''Rare and Commonplace Flowers''), by Carmem L. Oliveira. The film dramatizes the love story of the American poet

Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) was an American people, American poet and short-story writer. She was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956, the N ...

and the Brazilian architect

Lota de Macedo Soares Maria Carlota "Lota" Costallat de Macedo Soares (16 March 1910 – 25 September 1967) was a well-connected Brazilian woman who became a well-known landscape designer and architect. Despite not having a degree in either area, she was invited by ...

. Set largely in

Petrópolis Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...

between the years 1951 and 1967, the film tells the story of Bishop's passionate and often tumultuous life with Soares in Brazil.

Cast

Glória Pires Glória Maria Cláudia Pires de Morais (; born 23 August 1963) is a Brazilian actress. She is best known for her roles in TV Globo telenovelas such as '' Dancin' Days'', ''Vale Tudo'', ''Mulheres de Areia'' and ''O Rei do Gado''. She is also know ...

Miranda Otto Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a variety of ...

Tracy Middendorf Tracy Lynn Middendorf (born January 26, 1970) is an American television, film, movie, and theatre, stage actress. Middendorf's most notable roles were in the horror film ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'', the MTV series ''Scream (TV series), Scream'' ...

as Mary Morse *

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor, writer and aviator who has appeared on film, stage and television in over 120 credits. He first became well known for his starring role in the 1979 musical film '' Hair'', and la ...

Robert Lowell Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV (; March 1, 1917 – September 12, 1977) was an American poet. He was born into a Boston Brahmin family that could trace its origins back to the ''Mayflower''. His family, past and present, were important subjects i ...

*Marcello Airoldi as

Carlos Lacerda Carlos Frederico Werneck de Lacerda (30 April 1914 – 21 May 1977) was a Brazilian journalist and politician. Biography Born in Rio de Janeiro, Lacerda was the son of a family of politicians from Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro state. He was the ...

Lola Kirke Lola Clementine Kirke (born 27 September 1990) is a British-American actress and singer-songwriter. She starred in the 2015 film ''Mistress America'' and the Amazon Studios television series ''Mozart in the Jungle.'' She appeared in '' Gone Girl ...

as Margaret *

Luciana Souza Luciana Souza (born 12 July 1966) is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer who also works in classical and chamber music. Her song ''Muita Bobeira'' was featured as a music sample on Windows Vista. Music career Grammy winner Luciana Souza is one ...

as Joana *Tânia Costa as Dindinha *Marianna Mac Nieven as Malu

Release

''Reaching for the Moon'' had its world premiere at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, before screening at

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

and opening the 2014 Mardi Gras Film Festival. Following the sold-out screenings at Mardi Gras Film Festival, distributor

Leap Frog Films Leap Frog Films is an Australian film distributor. The company was founded by David Doepel and Barbara Connell. History Leap Frog Films was founded in March 2013. The company changed its name to Demand Film Ltd in 2017. It currently operates ...

announced it was planning a limited release across Australia in 2014.

International distribution

The International distribution rights are being licensed by

Cinema Management Group Cinema Management Group is an American company located in Beverly Hills, California that acquires, licenses, and distributes feature films, animation and documentaries. The company is noted for its catalog of internationally produced animated feat ...

References

External links

* * {{Bruno Barreto 2013 films 2013 biographical drama films 2013 LGBT-related films Biographical films about writers Brazilian biographical drama films Brazilian LGBT-related films Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos Films about architecture Films based on biographies Films based on Brazilian novels Films directed by Bruno Barreto Films set in the 1950s Films set in the 1960s Films set in Brazil Films set in Rio de Janeiro (city) Films shot in Rio de Janeiro (city) Lesbian-related films 2013 drama films LGBT-related films based on actual events