REACHING FOR THE MOON

Stars: Miranda Otto, Gloria Pires, Tracy Middendorf, Marcello Airodi, Treat Williams, Marcio Ehrlich, Lola Kirke, Anna Bella Chapman, Tania Costa and Marianna MacNiven.
Writers: Carolina Kotscho, Julie Sayres and Matthew Chapman; based on the book Rare and Commonplace Flowers by Carmen L Oliviera.
Director: Bruno Barreto.

Reviewed at the Opening Night of the 2014 Mardi Gras Film Festival.

Rating: 3.5/5

The conventional biopic approach that veteran Brazilian director Bruno Barreto applies to Reaching for the Moon proves a double-edged sword in terms of the films overall impact. The passion that poet Elizabeth Bishop and architect Lota de Macedo Soares shared in their hillside Shangri-la in the mid 1950’s is lovingly portrayed but fleetingly conveyed; there is a brittle austerity at work here that honours their legacy but shortchanges their human qualities.

One of the western world’s most celebrated writers, Bishop (Miranda Otto) found herself in a stalled creative mindset in 1951 New York, deciding to join her friend Mary (Tracy Middendorf) on an estate outside of Rio de Janeiro. Here, Mary lives with her lesbian partner Lota (Gloria Pires), one of the nation’s leading architects; despite some early conflict, Lota and Elizabeth fall in love, each providing the inspiration for the other’s endeavours.

The dynamic of life within the beautifully constructed grounds of Lota’s home constitutes most of the film’s first half; developments such as Elizabeth’s poetry output and worsening alcoholism, Mary’s adoption of a local girl and Lota’s role in rebuilding the Flamengo Park region of beachfront Rio play out satisfactorily under the workmanlike direction of Barreto. The director clearly adores his homeland, capturing stunning images of the countryside with the help of his DOP Mauro Pinheiro Jr; the period detail is equally sumptuous in the hands of production designer Jose Joaquim Salles and art director Yvette Granata.

As their love and relationship grows increasingly fractious, so does the impact of Barreto’s drama. Having taken her alcoholism to the brink of death in the isolated mountain enclave while Lota advanced her career, Bishop takes a teaching job back in the US; Lota spirals into a deep depression. With the onscreen chemistry of the lead actresses now absent, the focus of the film is diluted; the personal journeys each experience while apart don’t carry a lot of impact or meaning.

The ‘tortured artist’ role brings the best out of the finest actresses (Nicole Kidman’s Virginia Woolf; Salma Hayek’s Frieda Kahlo; Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sylvia Plath) and Miranda Otto, finally getting the rich lead role she has long deserved, is complex and commanding as Bishop. Matching her in every regard is Gloria Pires as Lota; the pair share a very strong bond and convince in some succinct but intimate love scenes. Gay audiences will appreciate that Barreto places no emphasis whatsoever on the mechanics of a lesbian love affair, treating his characters and their plight with non-gender specific respect.

The film represents a safe but sure bet as the opening night attraction for the 2014 Mardi Gras Film Festival. Engaging, non-threatening and pleasing to the eye and ear, Reaching for the Moon ultimately doesn’t soar as its title suggests it might have. Instead, it settles for moments of romantic insight set against the struggle for creative and emotional clarity.