I was stunned by this picture. Some say it's a good thing, others say it's not and I'm going with the latter. "Estação" ("Station") was one of those surprises that
comes on the TV and I was just following along without knowing what it was about and how it was about. To me, the movie experience works best in that way:
when there's something on the screen and you go along, just like life when you can't predict a moment from the other or sometimes you do. It's just a short, one must not create expectatives cause you know it'll stop in the moment where you need answers. Problem here was: I was starving for something
extra and with the very little the creators showed it was a pointless exercise that has good style, the adequate locations - which is the city I live and love,
and it was beautifully filmed - but there's bits of stories, not a full scope and that ruins the experience.
What is said about the film is about - but this one I got to know later on: the story of a girl who's trying to live her dreams in the big city of São Paulo, she wants to be an actress but as she arrives she just keep on sitting or waiting on subway/train/bus stations in late hours. What I saw: just the last part, some bits and pieces where it seems that she's from town, though walks around with plenty of confidence in an unknown and crowded city; the exchange with the lady with the fish bowl had me intrigued and wanted me to know what was about to go down. But I haven't seen a dream of pursuing something since she just keeps on wandering from station to station. When there's this shot of a strange walking right behind her, we expect the worst, robery, rape or maybe killing - a very likely scenario to happen with an alone girl in late hours at night but...it's all thrown on thin air. And when the final credits popped up...I've got nothing. It begins out of nowhere to leave you to nowhere back again. Films and stations aren't meant for that. You have to go somewhere, you have to reach a final destination - might not be one want or you need but it's a conclusion (in the case of films, you can leave a void in the air leaving the audience to fill in the blanks - I actually like that when the experience gets me hooked). With "Estação" I haven't felt a thing except for seeing my city on the screen, accurately portrayed, filmed with grace and style but that's that. The film was selected to the Cannes Film Festival in the short section and I guess they went unimpressed just like me. 5/10
What is said about the film is about - but this one I got to know later on: the story of a girl who's trying to live her dreams in the big city of São Paulo, she wants to be an actress but as she arrives she just keep on sitting or waiting on subway/train/bus stations in late hours. What I saw: just the last part, some bits and pieces where it seems that she's from town, though walks around with plenty of confidence in an unknown and crowded city; the exchange with the lady with the fish bowl had me intrigued and wanted me to know what was about to go down. But I haven't seen a dream of pursuing something since she just keeps on wandering from station to station. When there's this shot of a strange walking right behind her, we expect the worst, robery, rape or maybe killing - a very likely scenario to happen with an alone girl in late hours at night but...it's all thrown on thin air. And when the final credits popped up...I've got nothing. It begins out of nowhere to leave you to nowhere back again. Films and stations aren't meant for that. You have to go somewhere, you have to reach a final destination - might not be one want or you need but it's a conclusion (in the case of films, you can leave a void in the air leaving the audience to fill in the blanks - I actually like that when the experience gets me hooked). With "Estação" I haven't felt a thing except for seeing my city on the screen, accurately portrayed, filmed with grace and style but that's that. The film was selected to the Cannes Film Festival in the short section and I guess they went unimpressed just like me. 5/10
