Gabe Klinger’s first film made in his native Brazil is at least as much a portrait of his hometown, São Paulo, as it is of the title character. “Brazil’s gastronomic capital” comes vividly alive as middle-aged sommelier Isabel tries to realise her dream: opening her own wine bar.
Marina Person, known in Brazil not only as an actress and director but also as a TV presenter, delivers a captivating, charming performance as Isabel. She has a French boyfriend, Fred, and works at a two-star Michelin restaurant, but Isabel passionately longs for something else: a restaurant where she could serve local, traditional, and organic wines, and where she would no longer have to put up with her boss Tommaso’s “more commercial” views.
Klinger wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Person, and perhaps that is why Isabel’s portrayal is so multifaceted: as she succeeds or is disappointed with the American businessman Pat or her young colleague Nico, it is more about the endeavour and the journey than about reaching a destination. Life is not easy, but in the images captured on Flora Dias’s gorgeously grainy 16 mm film, it is always worth experiencing in the old, cosy, human-scale neighbourhood blocks of São Paulo.
Timo Malmi