The Hour of the Star

One of the most exceptional pieces of filmmaking ever to have emerged from Brazil, Amaral's assured first feature is an uncompromising study of an unattractive and na?ve young woman who comes to Sao Paulo to find work. Working as a typist in a grimy warehouse and rooming with a group of streetwise women, Macabea is unequipped to cope with big city life. She is surrounded by filth and ugliness but asks nothing more from her drab existence becuase she's been taught to expect nothing and demand even less. She is blind to the joys of the world until one day she meets a young man, and as their relationship grows, the film begins to soar. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign film, THE HOUR OF THE STAR has already received awards at many international film festivals.