User reviews

A tale of two sisters and the mental trauma they endure as they're unfairly separated due to the conservative and misogynistic mindsets washed into the naive and ignorant; mindsets that have been perpetuated throughout time via cultures, governments and religions established to control. Predominantly set in 1950's Rio and reminiscent of the great films of that time, beautiful performances convey the oppression and struggle so many had to fight against, and still do - bringing the invisible and unseen to your attention.

What a great movie it is! So beautiful in every sense. It's a very touching journey of two sisters who got separated and had to live separately without knowing each other's existence for a very very long time. Their emotional journey, the struggle and the pain they endure have been filmed so well. The representation of the patriarchy structure of society where the females struggle to live their dreams and how they put their everything for the family, has been shown very nicely. The journey through Brazil of 50's is very beautiful. A must watch!

How much did our mothers and grandmothers suffer from the patriarchy? How much did they have to hide, supress and ignore to protect us from past abuses?

Karim Ainouz tells, in his emotional tropical melodrama, stories from a time when a woman was expected to be subordinate in every single aspect of her life. Guida and Eurídice, apart from each other, lived outrageous trajectories, and, unfortunately, with expressive scars that lasted until today. The lies of extremally conservative parents, the superb and envy of Eurídice's husband, the suffering in maternity, the crucial solidarity between desperate women - all of it built a strong indignation and, at last, everybody cries in the end: a real tragic one. Fernanda Montenegro is an acting gem.

With technical maestry, Karim's team guides the movie in a raw way. The cinematography of Hélène Louvart is outstanding capturing old, green and dirty Rio de Janeiro. Karim's directing choices are really touching and carry a whole bunch of social issues with flow. The cello and piano from Benedikt Schiefer are as unsettling as the character's obstacles.

I hope that when women (especially older ones) watch this movie, they identify themselves and keep fighting against the male authoritarianism, fighting for freedom. I hope that when men watch this movie, they identify in themselves traces of sexism to keep changing, to keep evolving and encouraging other ones to be better.

It's definitely an incredible and important movie that answers the questions above with some of the multiple possibilites, multiple realities that exist. It's a must see

This film is a piece of art. The acting, the cinematography and the soundtrack are all great. It will make you sad, though. As a woman, it hits me even harder seeing the amount of injustice these sisters went through. One of the merits of this story is that it showed how much women were oppressed in their daily, middle class lives. There's no evil villain here, these girls are victims of their own society, of their own family, of people who don't even realize the extent of the harm they are causing.

I do think it has its flaws, some pacing issues maybe, but overall it's a great movie that actually made me feel the agony, melancholy and frustration of the characters and reflect about how this was (and unfortunately still is) the reality for many women around the world.

My biggest turndown with Invisible Life's biggest competition inside Brazil this year ('Bacurau') was the excess of metaphors to make it a smart work -- some of which have absolutely no contibution to the story. Still, it was able to provoke a lot of emotional reactions, it's specially smart and meaningful to watch from a Brazilian perspective. Invisible Life is something different, it's universal, delicate and rough at the same time, and it's story has no need to explaining -- we all know what it is about. Still, they explain (the only reason why it's not a 100% for me). Carol Duarte and Julia Stockler are incredible. Also need to mention the short appearance from Brazil's greatest actress of all time, Academy Award nominee Fernanda Montenegro, not only for the name but mostly because, after 120 minutes of the movie, her performance was still able to reach out to the emotions you built for the characters in the past 2 hours. Overall, absolutely beautiful. The film is a visual spectacle, but also a beautiful and touching story.

Greetings again from the darkness. Masterful storytelling when combined with expert filmmaking is a treasure to be appreciated and enjoyed, even if the story is not so pleasant. Such is the case with this gem from writer-director Karim Ainouz, who adapted the screenplay with Murilo Hauser and Ines Bortagaray from the novel "The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao" by Martha Bathala. Based in Rio de Janiero, the film blends the vibrant colors of the area with the traditional and restrictive Latin American family expectations of the 1950's.

The story spans 5 or 6 decades, and when we first meet sisters Euridice and Guida, it's clear they share a tight emotional bond that goes deeper than blood. Though their personalities differ greatly, they are both ahead of their time and out of step with the conventions of the era. Euridice (a strong performance by Carol Duarte) longs for independence and aspires to be a concert pianist after a hoped-for Conservatory in Vienna, while Guida (a powerhouse Julia Stockler) is a dreamer seeking true love, and whose party girl ways must be kept hidden from their conservative father. Both young ladies are spirited, yet respectful.

Their lives are forever altered when Guida runs off to Greece with her sailor lover. As is too often the case with young dreamers, she returns home once her spontaneous choices prove to be poor judgment. Her father rejects his pregnant daughter since, in his eyes, she has disgraced the family. The parents mislead Guida about her sister's whereabouts, so Guida assumes Euridice is off at conservatory fulfilling her dreams. This sets Guida off on her own solitary path.

In actuality, Euridice has married and experienced one of the worst ever wedding nights, featuring what is likely cinema's most unsexy bathroom lovemaking scene. There is an element of horror films to this segment of the film, as the sisters are living their worst nightmares, while being separated from each other ... unable to communicate. The male-dominated Latin culture and family traditions prevent their mother from 'disobeying' the father's order, so the cruel lie continues as the sisters unknowingly live their lives within the same town. There is even one excruciatingly painful-to-watch scene that finds them in the same restaurant at the same time, yet oblivious to the presence of the other.

Each woman's inner-strength pushes them forward. Guida (now Gisele) befriends a wise former prostitute Filomena (an excellent Barbara Santos) who becomes her mentor in poverty. Euridice tries to make the best of her situation while keeping her dream alive. Mostly what we have is a tragic story without one specific tragedy - other than the daughter spurned by her father. There are so many moments of pain and frustration, with undelivered mail being among the worst. The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Helene Louvart, and it reminds us that 'life happens', and it's not all love and Bach. This is an emotional and heart-breaking story, and devotees of The Lifetime Channel will likely be disappointed in the ending. For me, I have no qualms about the emotional wringer the film puts viewers through - even after the opening scene foreshadowing.

This movie has many good things in it: the sisters are very well cast and the acting in general is inspired. Locations, costumes and colors are absolutely on point. I just didn't really enjoy the plot and the script... I understand that this is meant to be a representation of repressive society, but the characters don't act as normal people would and I find it unnerving since this was meant to be a dramatic/realistic movie.

An immersive experience with great acting and a terrific story. One of the best movies of 2019. Highly recommended!

Guida and Euidice are two sisters who could not be any more different. Euridice is tall, Guida is short. Euridice is focused, determined and working hard to become a professional pianist, Guida can't think about anything but boys. When a tragic incident separates them the girls are lost without each other but they never give up hope to meet again. A desperate search turns into a journey of a lifetime, when in fact the girls only live a few streets away from each other... will the sisters be able to reunite? And at what cost?

Based on a novel INVISIBLE LIFE offers a very typical plot for Brazilian cinema. Sisters separated by fate is a tagline straight from GLOBO tv channel soap operas that are so popular in Brazil. With a running time of 2h20min the pace is rather slow and the story takes its time to get going. Where the film succeeds is the atmosphere of the 40s Rio, with its walkways, restaurants, and its diminishing Portuguese middle class that can easily slip into extreme hardship and poverty.

Independent director Karim Ainouz is a Cannes darling but has never quite made it into the big league. This feels like a passion project for him and his love for Rio is obvious in every shot. Definitely not for everyone THE INVISIBLE LIFE is rich in emotion and atmosphere. Watch out for a small role from Brazilian acting royalty Fernando Montenegro. Her emotional gut wrenching cameo could be just the reason to see this overlong family saga.

Beautiful movie, almost a-must to watch. The only thing I don't understand is so much hype about it. Most probably made by people that didn't watch too many movies, or by the ones just introduced to the art.

7.4/10 on my list

Watched this movie as a part of a love film festival of my local town. I give you the preset to this: me and my partner got our kids to sleep, saw the ratings of the movie and the short intro, figured this will be a lovely piece to watch together, we did not want any spoilers. We expected a bit sad but at least slightly romantic story. 10 minutes it was a great movie, although you could sense the ending already. But what was not great was the other almost 2 hours of the movie. Now you were trapped in a chair watching someone's traumatized vision of life, where every woman was weak and every man was a sexual predator with control obsession. Not ups and downs. Just downs downs and then some more downs. There was no time to include any positive male character into the movie, any, at all. There was no romance after the first 10 minutes. When the movie ended the atmosphere in the room was as if you would have discovered a dead baby in your couch.

Fantastic movie if your intent is to kill your mood and feel as if you left a funeral.

But totally killed my evening and i will never watch anything from the producers of these movie again.

Yes, some may say that my preset is was wrong, but seriously, if you just want a drama without a ray of light - go and volunteer to help at a local kid's hospital where they treat terminally ill kids with cancer, no need to make a movie to give you similar levels of feelings.

Gave it 2/10 of the rating for the effort of the actors, they did a good job.

The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is a melodrama that gives the audience a look at Brazilian culture during the 1950s and what life was like for most women under the patriarchal society that often made them struggle to succeed. What captured my attention from the outset were the spectacular set design and the period costumes that accurately depict life from that time. The production team, particularly director Karim Aïnouz and producer Rodrigo Teixeira, have my ultimate respect in nailing those aspects so accurately. This film entertained and educated me about that period of time and its culture, which are very unique characteristics I don't often see, but love.

The film is about two inseparable sisters living in Rio de Janeiro during the 1950s, that live under their conservative parents' strict guidance. Even though both sisters are involved in the traditional life that surrounds them, Euridice wants to become a renowned pianist and Guida wants to find true love. When their father separates them and makes them live apart from each other, they work to meet their goals, while hoping that they can reunite one day and celebrate life together, since they are each other's support and joy.

My favorite scene is when Euridice carefully covers for Guida's secret nighttime outings to dance clubs with a Greek sailor. She encourages her sister to not give in to their parents' strict lifestyle and proposes that they should expose themselves to experiences that will fill them with happiness.

The important message that I learned from this film is the importance of how women have fought for their place and equality within a patriarchal society. Before, women were submissive to the patriarch, but as time has passed, society has realized what a huge injustice was being made and corrected the social forms. This movie is very big on showing how times were different back then for women and how thankful we all must be that a turn was made. Young women like Euridice and Guida struggled from an early age to find happiness. I rate this movie 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 18, plus adults.

Reviewed by Alejandra G. , KIDS FIRST! Reviewers. For more film reviews by tweens and teens, visit kidsfirst dot org.

This is a memorable movie, sensational masterpiece!

If you're interested in a deep view of Brazilian life and culture, look no further than this wonderful film. The characters are real, they love and fight intensely, the way Brazilians do. This was a wonderful time capsule of Brazil in the 1950's.

I cannot understand the low-ratings from people who won't watch because they won't read subtitles! You've cheated yourself out of an amazing experience.

Characters are not that much sympathetic and the rythm is slow, everything is on surface and we couldn't delve to the characters and storylines, mostly I think because of lack of brilliant writing and dialogues. The only character despite the short amount of time was well written and well played was Filomena

A Brazilian film set in the 1950's which focuses on a pair of sisters who are torn apart by circumstances orchestrated by their own father. One daughter wants to be a concert pianist (she's seen throughout the film studying for a prestigious spot abroad at a music academy) while the other is a wild child who hooks up w/a Greek sailor on leave. One night while the pianist is entertaining the family she will marry into, the wild child sneaks out & effectively elopes w/the sailor leaving the country. Close to a year later, the wild child returns home, having broken up w/the Grecian cad, her father, a strict authoritarian who felt her leaving & returning now w/child was an unconscionable slight against the family, prompts him to reject her & throw her out of the house. Vowing to separate the sisters forever more, he never tells the other sister her sibling had returned. What follows is a gut wrenching odyssey of sisters kept apart for years (we hear one sided voice over narration from the wild child as we hear her letters to the missing sister asking for forgiveness & a possible reconciliation). We ache for a reunion as time marches on & as the ending approaches, the lump in your throat only gets heavier & heavier. Wonderfully acted & impeccably mounted w/a great distinct title credit design that would make Saul Bass or Pablo Ferro proud, this is one for the vaults. Co-starring Fernanda Montenegro (Oscar nominee for Central Station) in a small but pivotal role.

After I read the story was about "two sisters each mistakenly believing the other is living out her dreams", I expected a rivalry dynamic causing each sister to try and decieve the other she's doing great. And I was very interested to see this movie. But it turned out to be a black-and-white feminist epic where all men are moronic tyrants and all women - saintly victims supporting each other against the enemy. For better or for worse, real life is much more nuanced and I personally like to decide for myself how I see one situation or another rather than to be fed with sexist perspectives no matter which sex they are coming from! That doesn't mean I don't relate to most of the situations, maybe the most powerful being the one where on a Christmas eve a father says thanks to his daughter for keeping things as usual after the mother has passed away, or basically for taking up her role! I got so furious, I could enter the screen and destroy him on the spot! On the other hand, there is so much ugliness between women too that the perfect sisterly relations portrayed in the movie seem unconvincing to say the least. I know, it's very tiresome to have to decide who the enemy is based on current evidence, but otherwise you risk your freedom every time you decide to trust your prejudice. Because it doesn't matter if you end up in the kitchen with a bunch of children hanging from your apron or performing at the piano if it's not what YOU want.

This movie should be seen by every man and woman in the world.

As a few others reviews have pointed out, most of the film's characters are very one-dimensional. I enjoyed following Filomena and Guida's story due to the actresses' good performances, but the biggest problem is with the title character. Euridice as a character is very poorly defined - all we learn about her in two and a half hours is that she enjoys playing the piano and wants to get into a conservatory, and that she's unhappily married to a boorish husband. Her character isn't afforded any more depth than this, and isn't as well acted as Guida either. In fact the elderly actress who plays Euridice as an old lady at the very end of the film does a much better job at making her feel like a real three-dimensional person than the actress playing young Euridice. Similarly, a truly effective study of sexism and toxic masculinity would have explored the roots of the male characters' behavior, especially the father - there was clearly a lot more going on under the surface but all we ever got to see was a one-dimensional prideful monster without ever finding out why he was like that.

The result of the shallowness of the characterization is that Euridice is reduced to a passive victim figure apparently with no agency of her own, especially when compared to the spirited Guida. The bond between the separated sisters is the emotional heart of the film, but because we hardly see this bond - there are only a few scenes of the sisters together at the start of the film - their forced separation doesn't have the emotional impact on us that the film intends it to.

Depressing movie. People copulating like stray dogs in a dank alley, "deep" scenes while urinating in toilets, sex devoid of all love, parents and children devoid of all love. Artistic pretensions in a movie where all characters wallow in sewage. If you want to be depressed about the how bad the human condition can be, watch this miserable picture.

Two sisters. One in Athens, and the other one in Wien. Both, however, actually in Rio de Janeiro. The meeting might be problematic, as if in Athens and in Wien they were, just because in Athens and in Wien they reciprocally believed they could be indeed. In "Invisible Life" the vertex of the plot is the father's wounded proud. The father is a despot. In the edges, one daughter who did not give up her liberty and the other one who did not give up her carrier as pianist. Did they fail? As for the tensions, "Invisible Life" strongly touches chauvinism, indifference, women's social insertion, as well as the systematic limitation to the expansion of women's condition. From the ethical point of view "Invisible Life" is a movie that denounces the feminine oppression. Albeit slightly melodramatic it is movie that enhances the desire of changing life. Arnaldo Godoy (Brazil).