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The Movie ‘Aquarius’ versus Childishness in Brazilian Politics

on today’s episode of dont say that… BRAZIL!

I’ve got some fun news for you movie buffs out there!

The interplay between Brazil’s media and political establishment has now bubbled over into Brazil’s Oscar nominating committee… Which booted the critically loved film Aquarius out of the nomination supposedly because of the political stance its cast and crew took concerning the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff.

Few movies have touched a nerve in Brazil in recent years like “Aquarius.” Starring Sonia Braga as a marijuana-smoking grandmother who clashes with real estate developers, the film has won prizes in festivals from Amsterdam to Sydney, Australia. Brazilian audiences stand to applaud it in theaters. Many here saw “Aquarius” as a shoo-in to represent the country at the Academy Awards.

…the Brazilian government’s Oscar committee decided otherwise, rejecting it as the nation’s candidate for best foreign-language film…

The committee’s choice had nothing to do with the film’s artistic merits, critics contend. To the contrary, they condemn the decision as a form of political retaliation, made solely because of the cast and crew’s public distaste for Brazil’s new president, Michel Temer.

During a protest in May at the Cannes Film Festival, members of the cast and crew of “Aquarius” held placards denouncing the impeachment process that ousted Brazil’s first female president and catapulted Mr. Temer, her more conservative rival, into power.

Now, the government’s committee has chosen a movie called “Little Secret” to represent Brazil at the Oscars, picking a sentimental family drama that is being panned by critics and setting off a national discussion about whether anything can escape politics in Brazil’s deeply divided society.

Read the whole article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/world/americas/brazilian-politics-smother-a-films-oscar-ambitions.html

Well… that’s a shame isn’t it.

It’s a shame that people are so childish when confronted with speech they don’t like and it’s a shame that Aquarius will now be tainted by political bullsquirt and won’t be appreciated solely as the piece of art it is.

Oh well… I guess that’s the way of the world.

To recap the Sequence of Events for Aquarius’ Political Bullsquirt

  • The cast held up placards at the Cannes film festival criticizing the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff.
  • The Brazilian Ministry of Justice after the critcism by the cast at Cannes upped the content rating on Aquarius to 18+ (18 years or older).
  • The Brazilian Ministry of Justice then revised its rating to 16+ after criticism surrounding its reasoning for the 18+ rating.
  • The Brazilian Ministry of Culture then named Marcos Petrucelli, a critic of Aquarius’ director’s political views, to the committee that would select the movie to be nominated for an Oscar.
  • From there everything devolved into petty politics with radio commentators using slurs to describe people watching the film and calling for a boycott.
  • The opposite side of the political spectrum then turned Aquarius into a representation of their politics.
  • Nothing is about the artistic merits of the film Aquarius anymore, it’s all politics, and you can expect that kind of childishness to continue.

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