From Beginning to End

From Beginning to End (Portuguese: Do Começo ao Fim) is a 2009 Brazilian romantic drama film directed by Aluizio Abranches, starring Fábio Assunção, Júlia Lemmertz, Gabriel Kaufmann, Lucas Cotrim, João Gabriel Vasconcellos and Rafael Cardoso. It premiered in Brazil on November 27, 2009. The film deals with homosexuality and incest, two types of relationships that are often considered to be taboo. Abranches claims that his only intention was to tell a love story.

From Beginning to End
Theatrical release poster
PortugueseDo Começo ao Fim
Directed byAluizio Abranches
Written byAluizio Abranches
Produced by
  • Aluizio Abranches
  • Fernando Libonati
  • Marco Nanini
  • Iker Monfort
Starring
CinematographyUeli Steiger
Edited byFábio S. Limma
Music byAndré Abujambra
Production
company
Lama Filmes
Distributed byTLA Releasing
Release dates
  • November 12, 2009 (2009-11-12) (Mix Brasil)
  • November 27, 2009 (2009-11-27) (Brazil)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryBrazil
Languages
  • Portuguese
  • Spanish
  • English
Budget$1 million[1]
Box office$400,422[2]

The release of the film in Brazil, with only nine copies, was seen by almost 100,000 spectators, leading the film to be on the list of the top 10 most watched Brazilian films of 2009. It was shown in more than 30 national and international festivals, and it was also commercialized in more than 30 countries. In 2010 it was released in DVD in Brazil with success. In France, after a very successful premiere in the cinemas, the first edition of the DVD and Blu-ray was sold out in less than two weeks, and it became a best seller internationally through websites such as Fnac and Amazon.

Plot
  • 1986 — Thomás is born with his eyes closed, and he does not open them for several weeks following the birth. Julieta, his mother, is unconcerned, believing that when Thomás is ready and wants to open his eyes, he will. These events instill a strong belief in free will in young Thomás. Two weeks after his birth, Thomás opens his eyes, apparently to look directly at his five-year-old half-brother Francisco.
  • 1992 — Julieta is a wife and a loving mother, working in a hospital emergency department. Her free-spirited youngest son, Thomás, is the product of her marriage to her second husband Alexandre. Pedro, her first husband and father of her eldest son Francisco, lives in Argentina. Pedro and Julieta remain good friends. During childhood, Francisco and Thomás are very close, perhaps too close according to Pedro, with whom they spend a Christmas holiday in Buenos Aires. Julieta is aware of their close relationship and tries to remain understanding. Not long later, Pedro dies.
  • 2008 — Years later, when Francisco is 27 and Thomás 22, Julieta dies. The brothers become lovers and a love story ensues. Thomás is invited to live and train in Russia for a few years in preparation for the Olympics. Though it is the first time they will be apart, Thomás leaves. Francisco struggles without Thomás. He meets a woman in a club and though he tries to pursue a relationship with her, they both realize he is dedicated to someone else. Unable to be apart any longer, Francisco travels to Russia and the brothers happily reunite.

Cast

Production

Filming

The film was filmed almost entirely in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with parts filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Music

The soundtrack was released in December 2009 and includes music by Brazilian artists such as Maria Bethânia, Angela Ro Ro, Simone and Zizi Possi.[3]

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."O Leãozinho"Caetano Veloso3:39
2."Lágrimas de Diamantes"Paulinho Moska4:15
3."Ne me quitte pas"Maria Gadú5:47
4."Tango pra Tereza"Ney Matogrosso4:05
5."Elevador"André Abujamra3:53
6."Porque Eu Sei Que é Amor"Titãs4:17
7."Folhas de Outono"Zizi Possi and Ana Carolina3:46
8."Presente Passado"Isabela Taviani4:36
9."Um Dia Um Adeus"Vanessa da Mata4:14
10."Seu Olhar"Seu Jorge4:00
11."Bilhete no Fim"Paulinho Moska3:58
12."Vidas Inteiras"Adriana Calcanhotto4:12
13."Repare nos Meus Olhos"Zélia Duncan3:49
14."Canção de Amor"Bebel Gilberto4:45
15."Bem Pra Você"Simone3:44
16."Se Chovesse Você"Eliana Printes and Chico César4:58
17."Saudade"Lenine and Maria Bethânia3:45
18."Todo Sentimento"Chico Buarque5:04
19."Só Vou Gostar de Quem Gosta de Mim"Eliana Printes5:18
20."Outono"Angela Ro Ro3:29
21."Suburbano Coração"Monica Salmaso3:34
22."Summer 78"Yann Tiersen3:06
Total length:80:00

Release

The film attracted more than 10,000 viewers during its weekend debut. Playing in only nine theatres, the film finished sixth place during its opening weekend.[4]

The film was shown on May 26, 2010, at the Seattle International Film Festival, on June 26 at the Frameline Film Festival, on July 9 at the Outfest Film Festival, and on July 15 at the QFest.[5]

Marketing

The director put the film's trailer on YouTube, generating more than 400,000 views and comments which ranged from outrage to enthusiasm.

Reception

Box office performance

From Beginning to End grossed $62,081 in nine theatres its opening weekend, $365,094 in second weekend, the film finished sixth place during its opening weekend.[6] The film went on to gross $386,049 in Brazil and $14,373 in Taiwan, for a foreign total of $400,422.[7]

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews, some praising it for retaining a good plot while transcending boundaries and others condemning it as an ordinary plot using the subject matter to gain attention.[8][9][10]

References
  1. "Filme | do Começo ao Fim (Do Começo ao Fim) | CinePOP". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  2. "BOX OFFICE - FROM BEGINNING TO END". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
  3. "From Beginning to End (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Archived from the original on 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
  4. "'Lua nova' ultrapassa 3 milhões de espectadores e já é o sétimo filme mais visto do ano no Brasil". December 1, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  5. SIFF.net. Archived 2010-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "From Beginning to End - Box Office". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
  7. "From Beginning to End - Weekend Box Office". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
  8. Review - DVD Verdict - Brett Cullum. Archived 2011-07-31 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Entertainment Film News - Jorge Ameer.
  10. GayCelluloid - David Hall.
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