Heleno

Jose Henrique Fonseca's Heleno (Brazil, 2011) - Soccer is a national obsession in Brazil, fuelled by idols like Pelé, Garrincha and Zico. But before them all came Heleno de Freitas. Director José Henrique Fonseca gives a fragmented account of the rise and fall of this hot-tempered athlete, from his heyday playing for his beloved Botafogo in the forties to his tragic death in 1959 in a sanatorium due to untreated syphilis. In his time, Heleno played for Fluminense, Vasco de Gama and Junior de Barranquilla before being sold to Boca Juniors of Argentina in 1950. Despite his undisputed talent on the pitch, Fonseca has chosen to leave aside the strictly professional aspect of his life and focus on the man behind the heavenly physique. Ultimately, we are left with the bitter taste of a life plagued by mistakes; a man fallen victim to his own fame. Rodrigo Santoro’s stellar performance as Heleno won him best actor at Havana, while Angie Cepeda does Colombia proud in the part of the sensual mistress. 2011TOR, 2012CAR. RATING: 7