Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

José Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Assemany, Luis Carlos Vasconcelos, Ravi Ramos Lacerda ... see more see more... , Flavia Marco Antonio , Othon Bastos , Soia Lira , Caio Junqueira , Vinícius de Oliveira , Wagner Moura , Gero Camilo , Servilio De Holanda , Mariana Loureiro , Maria Do Socorro Nobre , Everaldo De Souza Pontes

A young man is forced to choose between family tradition and his own dreams and desires in this drama from Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles. In 1910 in a remote farming community, two families, the B... read more read more...reveses and the Ferreiras, both of whom earn their living growing sugar cane, have been squabbling over the ownership of a piece of land for years. The disagreement turned violent some time back, and after the first shot was fired and blood was spilled, the other family insisted upon killing the gunman as a matter of honor. The second shooter was then killed for the same reason, and ever since the two clans have been trading off murders in the name of familial honor and justice. The Breveses, who are a much smaller family, have been suffering a great deal more than their rivals thanks to this feud; a steady drop in sugar prices has also left the family with little but their pride. When Inácio, the first-born son of the Breves family, is shot down, his father (José Dumont) orders his next-oldest son, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), to kill one of the Ferreira boys after the traditional month-long waiting period. Tonho finds himself questioning the wisdom of this bloody rivalry, and he ponders his fate while spending time with his younger brother (Ravi Ramos Lacerda), whom his parents never bothered to name. As Tonho ponders his fate, a small traveling circus comes to town; Tonho and his brother are soon caught in the spell of Clara (Flavia Marco Antonio), a beautiful circus performer who befriends the young boy and nicknames him Pacu, while Tonho finds himself falling in love with her, and longing to travel the country at her side. Abril Despedacado won the Little Golden Lion award at the 2001 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

85% liked it

4,194 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

46 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Walter Salles

Release Date: December 12, 2001

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: June 11, 2002

Stats: 204 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Poster Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Poster Santoro Rodrigo Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Santoro and Dumont Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun)
Upload a Photo | View All Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (204)

  • itsjustme2004
    May 2, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Tragic, beautiful, poignant, compelling. A well told story not easily forgotten. This was one of the most moving films I've seen in a long time. It's golden colors seem to breathe the very heat of the desert itself, and the cinematography is breathtaking. The actors do a brillia... read morent job with their performances, a fine example of perfect casting . I don't see this is as a story about revenge, or even hatred, but more about one's willingness, or unwillingness, to blindly accept a ritual based on an idea which is not valid. Excellent film!
  • mvieaddict
    April 5, 2010
    mvieaddict
    Behind the Sun, Abril Despedacado, a Brazilian movie who told the simple story about two families locked in a blood vendetta over sugar cane land in the late 19th century somewhere in a northern part of Brazil. Beautifully shot against dry Brazilian landscapes and narrated throug... read moreh the eyes of a little boy and off course the tremendous cast of talented actors, especially, Rodrigo Santoro. However, it was the little boy who really stole the show and carried the movie through. He was fantastic, and showed real brotherly love, and the relationships between the families.This movie was often painful but delightful for those who admire depth, romanticism and beauty of expression. A must to see.
  • danieljhsu
    June 18, 2011
    danieljhsu
    on a foreign movie watching spree--spanish, argentinean, french, and this final brazilian movie today topped them all.
  • lelecarabina
    January 13, 2009
    lelecarabina
    In one of the poorest regions of the Brazilian northeast, amid drought and hunger, loyalty and honour are the only law. The tragic destiny of two families.
  • scootercrunch
    April 17, 2006
    scootercrunch
    oh yeah this is good, 2 families gun down each other 1 by 1 and wait 30 days and do it all over again. Fun stuff

View All Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Hank Sartin
April 1, 2010
Hank Sartin, Chicago Reader

The appearance of circus performers in any film not by Fellini usually bodes ill, and it does so here. Full Review

Mark Caro
July 20, 2002
Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune

A bleak, beautiful cinematic fable driven by the brutal logic of blood feuds and transformed by an overpowering sense of wonder. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
May 3, 2002
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Salles' movie taps into matters that are at once ancient and mythical and, needless to say, headline-fresh. Full Review

Rick Groen
May 3, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Salles starts with the loudly trumpeted theme, then tacks on a slim plot to justify the clamour. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
April 19, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Salles is a fine director with the ability to invest moments with a sense of tragedy and inexorable fate. Full Review

Susan Stark
April 19, 2002
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Salles here gives a story of inter-familial feuding and violence the kind of resonance that readily invites a leap to wider implications.

Renee Graham
April 19, 2002
Renee Graham, Boston Globe

Poignant and wrenching. Full Review

Roger Ebert
April 19, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

After a certain point, no one is right and no one is wrong, both sides have boundless grievances, and it's the audience that wants to run away with the circus. Full Review

Bruce Newman
April 18, 2002
Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News

Salles ... has found the beauty not only in this terrible place, but in a story by novelist Ismail Kadaré that originally was set in Albania. Full Review

Steven Rea
April 18, 2002
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Salles ... has crafted a compelling existential tableau.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brainstorm)
    Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brainstorm) (67%)

More Movies like Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun)

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Abril Despedaçado... : Watch Free on TV

Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun). Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?