Brainstorm (2001) Bicho de Sete Cabeças

Director: Laís Bodanzky
Stars: Rodrigo Santoro, Othon Bastos, Cássia Kis

A trip to the mental institution hell. This odyssey is lived by Neto, a middle class teenager, who lives a normal life until his father sends him to a mental institution after finding drugs on his pocket. The marijuana cigarette is just the final drop that exposes the family tragedy. Send to a mental institution, Neto gets to know a completely absurd, inhumane reality in which the people are devoured by a corrupt and cruel institution system. The documentary type language used by the director give this movie a sensation of realty that increases even more the impact of the emotions Neto goes through. In the mental institution, Neto is forced to mature. The transformations that he goes through change this relations with his father.

Until I watched this movie, I considered Rodrigo Santoro to be a gorgeous, yet average talented soap opera actor. Today, after being forced to admit to my mistake and recognize the extent of his gift, it even upsets me when people give more emphasis to his looks than to his performance. Santoro is clearly a star on the rise, and the sky is the limit.

If for nothing else, "Bicho de Sete Cabeças" would be worth watching simply to witness Santoro's performance. But there is more to this movie than its Leading Man. Based on the autobiography of Austregésilo Carrano, this is a courageous, heartfelt move about a young man's journey into the Hells of public Mental Institutions and his struggle to maintain his sanity. A must-see to all of those who have ever feared losing their minds… and all of those who haven't!

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