Wilson Barros' first and only short film "Diversões Solitárias" ("Lonely Entertainment") is a curious and amusing piece about a lonely character
(Luis Nascimento) who walks through the streets of São Paulo with his roller-skater and listening to lots of music with his headphones careless about
the people who comes his way to tell him many random stuff. He's deeply immersed with his activities, without distractions and sometimes he talks on the
phone with a mysterious person of whom we never get the chance to see or hear what he or she is saying to him; and other times he spends his time on a
shopping mall where his takes pictures from a beautiful girl who appears on the distance.
There isn't much of a story going on and some things aren't fully explained. All we get to see is that this lonely man doesn't enjoy the company of others and while he's at his apartment the only company he gets is from a female mannequim that looks like a robot of whom he uses to decorate and hold his objects like his headphones. Here's a poignant and humored treaty of the predominant cult of egotism and hedonism that affects some people (or almost everyone these days). We're all making our way through something so don't bother interrupting us to tell about things we don't mind and don't care, we are zebras on a crowd and with our earphones/headphones/cell phones on that's the best company we can have. With this we're safe from harm and safe from the noisy daily pollution of our everyday lives. So much to deal with that it's just best ignore things and relax a little while we can. True then and even more true now. That's where we're heading and gotta admit: sometimes it's not all that wrong, it's necessary.
The lonely guy almost gets interrupted by a woman who says she's deeply in love with him and wants to know him better but as she speaks the headphone is on while his playing a colorful game that doesn't allow him to look at her; and on the second occasion, a young woman tries to warn him about the dangers of his habits while he's ignoring her and listening to music while sitting on a square bench. And the third woman is the one who captures his attention but he doesn't go near her; he just takes her picture with his polaroid.
If the movie sounds empty or shallow for you, at least just watch it for the images presented and the exciting soundtrack that includes The Who, Beethoven and Lou Reed. At least the young man has an incredible taste. 8/10.
There isn't much of a story going on and some things aren't fully explained. All we get to see is that this lonely man doesn't enjoy the company of others and while he's at his apartment the only company he gets is from a female mannequim that looks like a robot of whom he uses to decorate and hold his objects like his headphones. Here's a poignant and humored treaty of the predominant cult of egotism and hedonism that affects some people (or almost everyone these days). We're all making our way through something so don't bother interrupting us to tell about things we don't mind and don't care, we are zebras on a crowd and with our earphones/headphones/cell phones on that's the best company we can have. With this we're safe from harm and safe from the noisy daily pollution of our everyday lives. So much to deal with that it's just best ignore things and relax a little while we can. True then and even more true now. That's where we're heading and gotta admit: sometimes it's not all that wrong, it's necessary.
The lonely guy almost gets interrupted by a woman who says she's deeply in love with him and wants to know him better but as she speaks the headphone is on while his playing a colorful game that doesn't allow him to look at her; and on the second occasion, a young woman tries to warn him about the dangers of his habits while he's ignoring her and listening to music while sitting on a square bench. And the third woman is the one who captures his attention but he doesn't go near her; he just takes her picture with his polaroid.
If the movie sounds empty or shallow for you, at least just watch it for the images presented and the exciting soundtrack that includes The Who, Beethoven and Lou Reed. At least the young man has an incredible taste. 8/10.
