The Middle of the World

2003
6.5| 1h25m| en
Details

Romão, illiterate and unemployed, feels destiny drawing him on an odyssey to Rio de Janeiro in pursuit of a job and a decent life. A family of seven journeys 2,000 miles across the hinterlands of Brazil on bicycles. Along the way, the story explores the inner dynamics of a family facing a great challenge with the courage to pursue dreams.

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Ravi Ramos Lacerda

Reviews

Wordiezett So much average
Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews
Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
irenaflux Just saw the movie and was touched and traumatized. Beautifully made and very realistic. At first I got the idea of a visionary hard working father that wants to provide for his wife and children,soon to find out he is not...Those 5 kids just wonderful! All 5 of them! I loved the way they would all take turns caring for their little brother... The way they sang together with their mom in the middle of nowhere...and making the best out of the circumstances. Enjoyed the "rebel" on the older son and his failures...The mother was very talented just a bit too naive and submissive...maybe too in love with the looser... What did not sit well at all with me was how the father would let his family beg all along but would be ashamed of a little add job he got (temporary) where he could have earned at least a meal for his kids and not let them go to sleep hungry...The movie is dedicated to Roberto Carlos ( as in the singer)? and why would that be for?
Chad Shiira "O Caminho das Nuvens"(American title: "The Middle of the World") tells the true story of a man who leads his itinerant family across Brazil on bicycles. Romao(Wagner Moura) is that man, a seemingly good man who doesn't drink(by default, perhaps; he can't afford any alcohol), or beat his wife and kids. Unfortunately for his wife, Romao is not a smart man. The world that passes by their two wheels looks yellow, dead, without promise. Rose(Claudia Abreu) is a saint whose husband needs a slap in the face. His dogged persistence that he won't settle for a job that pays less than a thousand reals makes him sound like the Rainman. While he promises Rose a better life in Rio de Janerio, Rose and his family make ends meet by performing traditional songs for tourists, and whatever odd jobs or crimes that turn up during their travels. It's okay for his family to demean themselves, but when Romao has the opportunity to contribute, pride takes precedence over his obligation to provide leadership and sustenance for the people who carry his surname.Growing pains is a trying time for an adolescent boy, even if he resides in a nice home with enough food on the table. Now consider poor Antonio(Ravi Ramos Lacerda) who goes through puberty on location. His raging hormones, raging in the brush, the tumbleweeds, the whole outback entire. When Antonio falls in love with a mermaid(a girl who poses for pictures in a club), he announces his decision to leave the two-wheel caravan. Romao doesn't discourage him because it's one less mouth to feed. After the beautiful girl in the mermaid costume rejects him for the older and wealthier club owner, we think about his mother, who married out of love instead of money. There should be a scene in which this beautiful woman second-guesses herself. A cross-country journey is exhausting, but the family in "Caminho das Nuvens" seem remarkably fresh. They must be part-camel because the heat doesn't prevent them from sharing an occasional off-the-cuff moment while they stave off hunger and dehydration. Remarkably, prostitution, or some desperate means of earning money is never broached between father and mother. Considering the distance they cover, the parents and kids just aren't dirty enough, or angry enough, at their dire situation, or at each other.
dirk breedveld it's the best road movie after Thelma and Louise. It's lovely in tempo, pictures, acting performance even of the very small kids, nice music, good mixture of action, drama, laughter, hope and despair, and getting out of your life the best possible....
annepg Rarely does one have the opportunity to see such a unique, honest and beautiful movie, specially when it comes to dealing with such difficult issues such as poverty, a family's struggle to stick together and overcome all sorts of misadventures. This is a beautifully shot road movie on bicycles - based on a true story - that can be compared to The Bicycle Theif, and another Brazilian master piece by Nelson Pereira dos Santos: Vidas Secas (Barren Lives, is the English title) (based on a novel). Everyone should get to see this movie.