ARTIFICIAL PARADISES

(A.k.a. PARAISOS ARTIFICIAIS)

It’s tough to synopsise ARTIFICIAL PARADISES, as it spins its story across three different timelines and flits back and forth between each one in non-chronological order. So to approach this text from a conventional angle would most likely give away far too much.

Instead, here’s the gist in more-or-less chronological order (with a couple of major plot points deliberately omitted):

Six years ago, Brazilian teenager Nando (Luca Bianchi) decided to pass on the diving holiday his father had planned for him and his younger brother Lipe (Cesar Cardadiero). Instead, he chose to travel to the azure beaches of Recife with his friend Patrick (Bernardo Melo Barreto) for a weekend of raving.

Also at the beach party are aspiring DJ Erika (Nathalia Dill) and her best pal Lara (Livia de Bueno). Erika is nervous about debuting her DJ set there on the first evening: if she’s successful, she’s been promised a stint at a prestigious club in Europe. Lara calms her mate’s nerves by pumping her full of drugs and going down on her. Hey, what are friends for?

On the second night, a fateful night at that, Erika and Nando are drawn together.

Fast-forward two years, and Nando is in Amsterdam with Patrick. They’re smuggling drugs for their mate Carlao (Erom Cordeiro), but take time out to enjoy a spot of clubbing while they’re there. Nando bumps into Erika, the club’s guest DJ, and they hit it off instantly – a relationship ensues.

But despite feeling as though he’s met Erika before, Nando cannot place her. She, on the other hand, definitely remembers him – and with, it will later transpire, good reason.

This story is bookended by a present-tense setting, four years’ further down the line, which finds Nando older and more solemn thanks to an extended term in prison. Freshly released from clink and retiring back to his bedroom at his mother’s house, he’s dismayed to discover Lipe has grown into a mini version of him – drinking with Carlao and Patrick, and heading in all the wrong directions …

Reading back on what I’ve written above, I realise it may seem vague to some. To expand on it though will lead me directly into ‘spoiler’ territory. Suffice it to say, the story – a deceptively small, simple one – bounces from one place in time to another, gradually revealing more about people, situations, outcomes of former occurrences etc. That it all hinges on a revelation that can be seen coming from a mile off is unfortunate, but there is enough to keep viewers on-side while we get there.

For a start, the sun-kissed Recife photography is truly beautiful, and director Marcos Prado has found a highly attractive cast with which to complement his lush compositions. The frequent bouts of sexual intimacy are shot in tender, stylistic flourishes which are in keeping with the vivid locales, while the Amsterdam nightlife is conveyed in a successfully authentic manner: this cast appear true to their surroundings.

Performances are strong, with Bianchi and Dill finding that chemistry crucial to their convictions. Roney Villela, as a sage-like veteran druggie, also deserves a mention here: he steals every scene he’s in.

The rave backdrop doesn’t appeal to me at all but is never overwhelming here. It’s handled with authentic persuasion, and is kept relevant to the plot (which itself relies heavily on that culture) at all times. The title, after all, is no doubt an allusion to the drugs that course through these characters’ lives, if not their bloodstreams.

Bolstered by sex and a little crime (not much), the film does still feel a little too lightweight but does emerge as subtly refreshing come its uplifting ending.

Not to be confused with a Mexican production from 2011 which bears the same title in English.

Matchbox Entertainment’s region 2 DVD presents the film uncut in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The transfer is enhanced for 16x9 televisions and boasts a strong, warm palette. Blacks are solid, detail is intricate and noise is kept to a bare minimum. I imagine the film would look wonderful in HD.

Portuguese 2.0 audio is also strong throughout. Channels are balanced finely between the softly spoken dialogue and the thumping dance soundtrack, while quieter interludes benefit from a nice clean background track. English subtitles are burned-in but easy to read at all times. Any typing errors occurred later into the viewing, and were never overly distracting.

The disc opens to a colourful animated main menu page. From there, a static scene selection menu allows to the film via 16 chapters.

The only extra on the DVD is the film’s original 2-minute trailer, which is also presented in 16x9 widescreen with burned-in English subtitles.

While never revelatory and perhaps ultimately forgettable in the long term, ARTIFICIAL PARADISES is often gorgeous to look at and these aesthetics, along with uniformly strong performances, lift it above its trite storyline.

Review by Stuart Willis