**** (Four stars)
The idea behind the Brazilian Playing sounds pretty brilliant. Women are asked to tell an important story from their lives on camera, then actresses are brought in to reenact these stories, word for word. For a twist, the filmmakers do not immediately indicate which person is acting and which one is real. These stories are often heart-wrenching and beautiful, which makes it easy (most of the time) to connect with these pairs of women. The concept's chief drawback is that, with so many women pouring out their feelings back to back, the movie starts to seem like a two-hour therapy session…in another language.—Leigh Wolinsky, events manager
[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.]