O Amor Natural

This feature length documentary was inspired by the erotic poetry of the Brazilian writer Carlos Drummond de Andrade. The poetry was never published during Drummond's lifetime - he was worried that readers would find it pornographic. The director interviews elderly Brazilians from all walks of life, inviting them to recite Drummond's verse and to reminisce about their own erotic adventures. The poetry itself is tremendous - full of ripe, carnal imagery - and there's something touching and humorous in seeing the dessicated old timers read it aloud. The film works both as a social document, charting a generation's attitudes toward love, sex and marriage, and as a lyrical celebration of Drummond's life and work.