Domésticas,
O Filme (Maids)
Brazil, 2001, 90 minutes. Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Nando Olival
A fast, sexy, and life-affirming film from the director of City of God,
Maids offers both superb slice-of-life acting
and sophisticated film work. In Brazil, there are no less than three million
housemaids, each with her own, yet universal story of loneliness, ambitions
and loss but also of mutual solidarity and love. Based on one of the most
popular and widely praised modern Brazilian stage plays, this defiant
and original film, follows the stories of five maids who are brought together
by the drudgery of their work and the bus they ride. Set to the rhythm
of a samba, the film draws an intimate portrait of these characters and
their problems. 
"Fast and funny, sexy and sad, pic jumps from one mood to another, holding audience interest not just narratively but with sophisticated film work." – Deborah Young, Variety
"It's absolutely impossible not to laugh and not to be emotionally touched" – Marcos Pinho, Diario de Sao Paolo
Audience award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2001. Grand Prix at the Toulouse Latin America Film Festival 2002. Passista Trophy at the Recife Cinema Festival 2001. Cinema Brazil Grand Prize nominee 2002.