by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
Regina and Valerio are a happy couple seeking a way out of their criminal family business, but their
efforts only push them deeper into the pit they hoped to escape in Carnival Is Over.
Regina (Leandra Leal) and Valerio (Irandhir Santos) are happy in their relationship and lead a relaxed life
in their luxury villa in the hills of contemporary Rio de Janeiro. But since the death of Valerio’s father,
Rio’s biggest mafioso, they’ve been looking for a way out of the criminal hornet’s nest that is Valerio’s
family business.
But they also have considerable expenses and debts to contend with. Valerio’s uncle Linduarte (Stepan
Nercessian) and his father’s “business” partner have been running the operation and taking its risks alone
in his brother’s “absence”. Linduarte insists that Valerio take over his father’s role in the business. One
serendipitous night, Regina and Valerio come up with a solution to their problem: kill the uncle and sell
the business. But in doing so, they fall deeper into the violence they want to escape.
Renowned Brazilian writer-director Fernando Coimbra crafts the dark comedy Carnival Is Over and returns
to TIFF after over a decade of other projects including the recent Perry Mason series on Max. The neo-
noir sensibilities Coimbra used on Perry Mason’s attempt to invade this film also.
Both Leandra Leal and Irandhir Santos are major stars in Brazilian cinema and television. Leal is
considered acting royalty being the daughter of actress Angela Leal and having started her career as a
baby. Leandra has over sixty-two acting credits in her forty-plus years of life. Irandhir Santos has over
thirty-eight acting credits in a career of less than twenty years. This film promises that these two
beloved Brazilian faces can begin to receive international recognition.
The combination of humor, even dark humor, and the mafioso is unusual. This film is a testament to that
fact. The story created by Coimbra is very different from most. Coimbra attempts to straddle the dark
and violent nature of mob business with the ridiculous humor of a poorly hatched (and executed) plan.
Along the way, ineptitude and insecurity arise and threaten all that the loving and slightly demented
couple holds dear.
Santos and Leal are an excellent pairing and are believable in their stupidity. Sadly, the plot of the
movie, especially the opening scene, establishes an uncrossable emotional divide between the viewers and
their characters which allows no empathy for the pair as they fail themselves and each other.
Carnival Is Over is an experiment in overreaching. The subject matter has the potential to be excellent.
Coimbra probably should have chosen a firmer direction between humor and drama with this one.
Grade: C