Alice’s House

The people in Alice's house live too close to each other for comfort, yet too far apart for understanding. Alice is a São Paulo manicurist who's bored and frustrated with her life. Confined to living in a small space with her cab driver husband, her mother, and three adolescent sons, she's desperately lonely. Her husband lusts after teenage girls; the boys steal, hustle, or watch TV; Grandma moves quietly through the cramped quarters, cooking, cleaning, and keeping a tidy home. Because she's always there, Grandma is the one who sees all and knows everyone's secrets– ironically, she is slowly going blind. All these characters come and go in an emotional void. Meals are eaten, people fight, the men tell Grandma how to wash their clothes, and Alice takes the bus to work. When an old flame of Alice's shows up in her beauty salon, she seizes the opportunity. Director Chico Teixeira has been a documentarian until this film, and it shows in a remarkable way. A specialist at making “small” films about ordinary people, he keeps the camera focused tightly on his characters, underlining the claustrophobia of their lives. (In Portuguese with English subtitles) – BB