REPVBLICA | Short Movie | Fiction | 2003

The short movie REPVBLICA was produced by ALEPH CINEMA IN 2002. It has been shot in 35mm and had its premiere on October 8, 2003, at 8:30 PM at the Museum of Image and Sound – MIS, in São Paulo, SP, Brazil. In 2022, the original 35mm reel of the film has been transfered from film to digital 4k and has been restored.

SYNOPSIS

In Brasil, at one the streets of the downtown of the city of São Paulo,  an old building is about to collapse because of its poorly maintenance. Tenants try figured out how to avoid the collapse while trying to discover the secrets from a mysterious apartment of the building.

Aleph Cinema Logo
Movie Produced by Aleph Cinema

From left to right, actress Sonia Oiticica and actress Etty Fraser.

CAST AND CHARACTERS

Alessandra Fernandes as Lili

Chico Martins as Olavo Barnabé

Elias Andreato as Bezerra

Erica Montanheiro as Mariana

Etty Fraser as Neusinha

Guilherme Santana as Aranha

Heitor Goldflus as Durval

Heraldo Firmino as Dinamite

Laerte Melo as Assad

Luiz Gustavo Jahjah as Client of the Bookstore

Sonia Oiticica as Glorinha

STORYLINE

In the República neighborhood, downtown São Paulo, a small residential building has just been condemned by a technician from CONTRU. Next to the entrance hall of the building, there is an old second-hand bookstore and a snack bar. Everyone living or working there is worried about the building’s condemnation. At the same time, everyone, in their own way, harbors an interest in the mysterious resident of apartment 11, Lili.

PLOT

On a rainy morning, Lili leaves the building and drops the key to apartment 11 from her pocket. Durval, the doorman, decides to keep the key and puts it in his desk drawer before heading out for a meal. When he returns, he is surprised to find that the key has disappeared.

The key eventually gets into the hands of various people who live or work in the building, including Bezerra the building manager, Assad the owner of the snack bar, Barnabé the owner of the bookstore, and Glorinha, an old resident. Through these typically São Paulo characters, we learn that, in addition to their fear of being displaced from the building, they also share an obsessive curiosity about Lili’s life.

In the end, the key returns to Durval, the doorman. He leaves the hall, goes up to Lili’s apartment, opens the door, enters, and closes it… Durval ultimately discovers Lili’s mysteries. We do not.

CREW

SCRIPT AND DIRECTION
Cássio Pires, Clóvis Inoue, and Jonas Golfeto

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Rodolfo Figueiredo

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Maria Flor Brazil

1ST CAMERA ASSISTANT
Maurício Hirata

2ND CAMERA ASSISTANT
Lia Tunkos

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Adriana Campos

CONTINUITY
Marília Perracini

SCENE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER
Júlia Braga

SOUND DESIGN
Tobias Luz

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Marcos Battistuzzi

EDITING
Benê (ECA)