Evoking a lost time and innocence, this warmly told road film from director Marcelo Gomes finds two intrepid travelers intent on making the most of whatever life throws into their path. — Johann, a young German opposed to H... more »itler's war, has fled to Brazil. Living in his truck in the country's remote, arid, northeastern region, he drives from village to village peddling the miracle cure-all-- aspirin. Along the way, he picks up a hitchhiker, the sharp-tongued Ranulpho, who has left the drought and suffering of his region in search of a better life.
Johann hires Ranulpho as his assistant, and at first, the two seem worlds apart. Johann embraces the adventure of his nomadic life and dreams under the stars, while Ranulpho complains about the miserable, sun-bleached country he has known all his life and dreams of getting a job in glamorous Rio de Janeiro. Nevertheless, after many long days on the road with only the scratchy voice on the radio to remind them of the distant war, an unlikely friendship develops between the two men. But as Brazil enters the war against Germany and Johann is ordered back home, each man must decide his own fate.
Cinema, Aspirins and Cultures is an official selection (Un Certain Regard) of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and Brazil's Foreign Language Film submission to the 2007 Academy Awards.« less