''VIPs'' is a 2010 Brazilian

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 ...

directed by Toniko Melo, based on the book ''VIPs - Histórias Reais de um Mentiroso'' by Mariana Caltabiano, about Marcelo Nascimento Rocha, a criminal who was famous for impersonating several people, among them one of the owners of the Gol airline and one of the leaders of the

PCC PCC may refer to: Science and technology * Pearson correlation coefficient (''r''), in statistics * Periodic counter-current chromatography, a type of affinity chromatography * Portable C Compiler, an early compiler for the C programming language ...

criminal faction. It is the first film of Toniko Melo alone in the direction. His other film, ''Som e Fúria'' (2008), was directed in partnership with

Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film '' City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, which ...

, which is one of the producers of ''VIPs''. The film was exhibited at the

Festival do Rio 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 ...

and won four awards, including best picture.

Plot

The film tells the story of Marcelo da Rocha ( Wagner Moura), a man who as a child loved to imitate people. He lives in the state of Paraná with his mother, a hairdresser, and his great dream is to learn to fly and become a pilot like his father. Marcelo runs away from home and travels to

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and ...

. There, he starts working in a hangar, learning to fly airplanes and soon begin working with contraband, always assuming new identities. After getting a lot of money, Marcelo prepares for the biggest coup of his life: posing by businessman Henrique Constantino, brother of the owner of Gol airline. He disembarks in a resort in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

and convinces all the VIPs of the party for a few days that is the real Henrique. Except for the millionaire Sandra, who knows his secret, but let herself be seduced by him. All goes well until Marcelo gives an interview on TV, being unmasked and forced to escape.

Cast

* Wagner Moura as Marcelo da Rocha "Bizarro" *Gisele Fróes as Silvia *

Jorge D'Elía Jorge D'Elía (born April 28, 1938 in La Plata, Argentina) is an Argentine film and television actor, as well as a playwright. He's mostly known for his role in the tv series Los Simuladores. He's the father of actor Federico D'Elia. Filmogra ...

as Boss *Emiliano Ruschel as Fausto *

Roger Gobeth Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

as Renato Jacques *Juliano Cazarré as Baña * Arieta Corrêa as Sandra *Norival Rizzo as Father of Marcelo *João Francisco Tottene as Marcelo da Rocha (child) *Amaury Jr. as Amaury Jr. * Marisol Ribeiro as Resort lady

Accolades

The film won the 2010

in the categories of best film, best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress. In addition, it participated in the Mostra de São Paulo, Show Búzios, Festival de Vitória and the Mostra de Cinema de Tiradentes.

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, vips_2011, VIPs 2010 films 2010 biographical drama films 2010 crime drama films Biographical films about fraudsters Brazilian biographical films Brazilian crime drama films Crime films based on actual events Drama films based on actual events Films about con artists Films about identity theft Films based on biographies Cultural depictions of Brazilian men Cultural depictions of fraudsters