13 Sentimentos (Portuguese) [Perfect Endings]

This film feels like one of those breezy, emotionless movies where the filmmaker is possibly lost in trying to convey some deep message. It’s disappointing because it’s from the same director who made The Way He Looks, one of my all-time favorite films. It’s not that the movie is bad, but by the time it’s over, there’s really nothing memorable to take away from it.

João is a 32-year-old filmmaker living in São Paulo, who, after ending a 10-year relationship with Hugo, turns to dating apps in search of another boyfriend. He believes the relationship ended on a high note, which is a good thing— after all, like any good TV show, you don’t want to stay when things start getting boring. He throws himself into the world of dating apps, but isn’t in any rush to meet anyone. He wants to take things slow. He meets up with a couple, Alexandre and Rodrigo, and his voyeuristic tendencies lead to an unexpected flirtation with his career. He also meets Viktor, a guy he likes, but after a few flings, the connection fades. João is also a struggling filmmaker, his screenplay delayed by the production company. Fed up with editing tedious educational films, he finds success as a cameraman for amateur art porn, filming private couples. Some of these couples even invite him to join in, but João declines, largely due to the influence of the gay couple he met earlier. João decides to channel his life into writing, turning his experiences into a script. But as his romantic life doesn’t go as planned, he keeps editing and reworking the script. If things don’t work out with Leo, he can always replace him with Vitor, and if Vitor flakes, Orlando can be his next muse. This is an entertaining device, but it also subtly highlights João’s emotional avoidance. At times, the film feels like a sitcom, though it isn’t quite as laugh-out-loud funny as you might expect.

The pacing of the film occasionally feels a bit uneven. The story kicks off suddenly and drags a bit in places, but it eventually finds its rhythm as we follow João through his relationships and his new job filming amateur porn. His lovers come and go, and there are times when I was left wondering what the film was truly trying to say. João uses his dates to flesh out his script, but why the heavy emphasis on filming amateur sex? Maybe the film is trying to suggest that intimacy doesn’t need to be shameful, that it could be a means for personal growth and artistic expression. There were moments when I could relate to João, seeing myself in his struggle to juggle both professional and romantic challenges. The actor portraying João was excellent, but as I mentioned earlier, there’s just not much that stays with you after the credits roll. Did he have a happy ending when he met yet another guy? And perhaps it’s the subtitles I had, but I wasn’t entirely sure what the title of the film meant either. Overall, the film is neither erotic nor particularly funny; it’s just a bit average and somewhat dull—worth watching, but easily forgettable.