“13 Sentiments”, by Daniel Ribeiro, premieres in theaters

By Eduardo de Assumpção*

“13 Feelings” (Brazil, 2024) Feelings are the engine that drives Daniel Ribeiro’s new film, at least 13 of them. But the first thing that hits is the confusion of the end of a relationship, João (Artur Volpi) has just left a 10-year marriage, and now needs to figure out life. And he does this through a very contemporary method in the LGBTQIA+ environment, through dating or sex apps.

Through the internet he meets Vitor, Michel Joelsas, from “Boca a Boca”, whom he is really interested in, but who he cannot get to know completely. However, also a variety of other men, with whom he will soon share about his encounters with your diverse group of friends.

And if in “Today I want to go back Alone”, Daniel Ribeiro knew very well how to film the sexual discovery, which earned him a Teddy, at the Berlin Festival, this time the filmmaker stands out for the sex scenes, so real, and natural, as for life, but without ever falling into an appealing or voyeuristic territory, with a diversity of textures and bodies. And it is in this adventure that João, who is a filmmaker, begins to outsource his services to film other meetings, and explore the OnlyFans culture.

A magic cube brings symbolism and even a playful aspect to the project, after all, whoever can solve it will probably win over João, who needs to solve his life now that it is starting over, like the cube, this requires complexity. This mix of reality and fiction, the filmmaker attributes “Bergman’s Island”, by Mia Hansen-Løve, as one of the influences.

João is also working on a script, which plays with the inevitable 13-centimeter pun, and even in some dialogues, a certain metalanguage stands out. It is a path adopted by the director, who also wrote the script, who states more than once that life imitates art.

Beautifully photographed by Pablo Escajedo, the film gives us a glimpse of queer life in São Paulo, the largest metropolis in the country, and how even in the middle of the crowd, it is full of feelings represented by a gay man, who now single, needs review your emotions. A party scene was shot in the photo studio of Fábio Audi, who played Gabriel in “Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho”. In this scene, he made a cameo appearance.

The film deals with universal conflicts and that is why it is so current, its very diverse cast shines on stage, especially the protagonist Artur Volpi, who shares an unbeatable chemistry with everyone he shares the scene with, whether in bed or at a bar table. with his friends, played by Marcos Olli and Julianna Gerais.

We have a “More than Friends” to call our own! Although the films are not similar in their content, they are similar in form, with a more commercial approach that aims to reach a larger audience, even if niche, and leave the place of conceptual and independent LGBTQIA+ cinema. At this point, even with a limited budget, Daniel Ribeiro’s sunny feature film will bring queer experiences to large audiences.

*Eduardo de Assumpção is a journalist and responsible for the blog cinematografiaqueer.blogspot.com

Instagram: @cinematografiaqueer

Twitter: @eduardoirib

By Ezatamentchy