Director Cao Hamburger tells an almost Truffaut-like story of childhood, impossible love, abandonment and ultimately being found. This film reminds me a lot of The 400 Blows as children occupy the main space of this film. The actors give an almost neo-realist performance as characters who could be anyone you know. They are played to perfection and very relatable.
The writing is humorous in the right places while choosing to remain classy instead of raunchy. I appreciate the extra effort taken to make this film approachable for all ages while being sophisticated at the same time. The somewhat whimsical story doesn't hold back on dealing with political issues and world events of the 1970s in Brazil.
I feel that this is a very powerful tale of finding out that home and family are what you make of it. You could miss what isn't there but then you are just missing what is. Perhaps thats an overly optimistic view of it.
If you enjoy films by Francois Truffaut, Roberto Rossellini or Pedro Almodovar I would think you should enjoy this film. Its a masterpiece.