Starring: Fernando Alves Pinto and Alessandra Negrini
Directed by: Afonso Poyart
Rated: Not Rated
Running time: 1 hr 41 mins
XLrator Media
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
“Nobody is bad. People just go the wrong way sometimes.”
Wisdom and reason, all in ten words. And the driving force behind the new film “Two Rabbits,” a film with so many twists and turns you’ll need to wear a seatbelt while watching it.
The basic story is redemption. The film begins with a horrible car accident which kills a woman and her son while they are walking across the screen. Through flashbacks we meet the people involved: the driver of the car, the woman’s husband, the local crime boss, his attorney and the attorney’s police officer wife. We soon learn that things are not as they seem. The wife, Julia (Negrini), finds mistakes in the police files or removes evidence, allowing her husband Henrique (Neco Villa Lobos) to get his high profile clients off in court. His current client is the evil Maicon (Marat Descartes), who will need all the help he can get if he wishes to be found not guilty. All of these people interact with Edgar (Pinto), a man with a past and, hopefully, a future. As the story progresses, things that seemed clear become blurred and people reveal themselves to be exactly what you DIDN’T think they were.
While director Poyart has written a strong script, one which could stand alongside “The Usual Suspect” as far as twists go, he double downs on the story with some amazing camera work. Portions of the film play like a straight-up thriller, others like a scene taken directly from the video game “Grand Theft Auto.” It’s a curious choice but one that works in Poyart’s hands. Poyart also served as the film’s editor, ensuring that the final vision is his. The cast is equally strong and as the plot slowly unwinds they roll well with the punches.
This is Poyart’s feature film debut as both a writer and director and it should be noted that his work here earned him the director’s gig on this fall’s upcoming mystery “Solace,” which will star Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell. I’m predicting no sophomore jinx for this filmmaker.