Blue Eyes (unrated)
Hostilities bubble over in this intense airport drama.
David Rasche and Cristina Lago in Olhos Azuis.
Editor rating:
Brazilian Film Festival of Miami: The 14th annual event, running Friday through Aug. 21, features recent productions and is the largest competition of Brazilian films outside Brazil. It culminates in the Crystal Lens Award ceremony. It includes competitive and special screenings, plus a free business fair with panel discussions and business meetings with representatives of international and Brazilian firms. Films are in Portuguese with English subtitles; 305-600-3347. Descriptions and industry events are at www.brazilianfilmfestival.com/miami_en.html or go to www.MiamiHerald.com and search Calendar and film:
VENUES
Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. 305-674-1040. COLONY. $10, $7 seniors and students
Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale. 954-760-9898. PARADISO. $10, $8 seniors and students, $6 FLIFF members,
SCHEDULE
Friday • Opening Night: ``Sildenafil,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``In Therapy,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY. Free.
Saturday • ``Superbarroco,'' 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Time of Peace,'' 7:20 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Romance,'' 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``Bliss,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Love Stories Last Only 90 Minutes,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
Sunday • ``Tamboro,'' 5 p.m., COLONY.
• ``The Payback,'' 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Mamonas 4-Ever,'' 7:30 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Story of Me,'' 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``Happy Birthday To You,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Blue Eyes,'' 9:40 p.m., COLONY.
Monday • ``Beyond Ipanema-Brazilian Waves in Global Music,'' documentary, 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Playing,'' documentary, 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``Virtual Relationship,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``The Well Beloved One,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
Tuesday • ``Elvis & Madona,'' 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Queen of Brazil,'' documentary; 8 p.m.,
PARADISO.
• ``Who's Gonna F*** My Wife,'' 9 p.m.,
COLONY.
• ``So Normal 2,'' 9:15 p.m., COLONY.
Wednesday • ``Rita Cadillac -- The Lady of the People,'' documentary; 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Little Book of Love,'' 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``After Lunch,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• Tribute to Andrea Beltrao, Brazilian cinema, TV and theater actress, 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Time of Fear,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
Thursday • ``Dzi Croquettes,'' documentary; 7 p.m.,
COLONY.
• ``The Man Who Bottled Clouds,'' 8 p.m.,
PARADISO.
• ``A Vaca,'' documentary; 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Broken Dreams,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
8/12/2010
On his last day at work before mandatory retirement, the bitter, alcoholic Marshall (David Rasche) starts drinking on the job. He is the chief immigrations officer at JFK airport, and his two co-workers (Frank Grillo and Erica Gimpel) are hoping he'll pick them as his successor, so they indulge him when he decides to randomly harass a group of Latin and South Americans entering the country.
Among them are a Cuban ballet dancer, an Argentine couple smuggling cocaine and Brazilian Nonato (Irandhir Santos), a legal U.S. resident returning from a visit with his daughter. Two thirds of Blue Eyes unfolds inside the Border Customs office at the airport, where the guards become progressively bolder at humiliating the foreigners who don't understand why they are being retained.
The more Marshall drinks, the more his racism and hatred bubble to the surface, eventually turning into violence. Director Jose Joffily allows the tension to mount gradually, making us privy to the thoughts of the officers and travelers and exploring the mind set of foreigners in the post-9/11 era.
But the airport stand-off scenes are all flashbacks. Blue Eyes continually cuts away to the present, when a run-down Marshall, dying of cancer, seeks the help of a young prostitute (Cristina Lago) to track down Nonato's daughter. The split nature of the narrative defuses the suspense -- we know from the opening moments how this tragedy will end -- and the back and forth adds considerably to the running time, which starts to feel mighty long. The airport sequences, though, would make a pretty good stage play.
Cast: David Rasche, Frank Grillo, Erica Gimpel, Irandhir Santos. Cristina Lago.
Director:Jose Joffily.
Screenwriters:Melanie Demantas, Paulo Halm.
Running time: 110 minutes. In English, Portuguese and Spanish with English subtitles. Vulgar language, brief nudity, violence, drug use, adult themes.
