Another memorable Brazilian film from 2025. It portrays the life and tells the story of freedom and resistance of Ney de Souza Pereira (1941) aka Ney Matogrosso, from his childhood to the present.  Scene stealer Jesuita Barbosa delivers an outstanding performance in this biopic and fictional drama, directed by Esmir Filho from a screenplay co-written by him and Laura Malin. Ney de Souza Pereira himself was involved in the production.

Camera work, lighting, music, costume design, make-up, and editing blend harmoniously all over the film and introduce us to a boy exploring a natural environment where water, flora, and fauna reign and inspire the man that crawls on the stage in a magnetic performance, informing us that all that nature allows nourishes Ney´s art.

By way of flashbacks, we learn Ney was a rebellious boy son of Antonio (Romulo Braga)  and loving Beita (Hermila Guedes),  Ney witnesses the Queen of the Forest contest that made a deep impression on him. Harshly his father states his son will never be an artist, but his mother embraces his creativity.  In an eloquent outdoor sequence, the arm’s boy becomes that of a man, emphasizing father and son love/hate relationship, meanwhile Ney wishes their bond will be of acceptance, and respect.

The story develops chronologically, starting in 1949, with the family living at the Military Villa, in 1959 Ney is at the military air base do Galeao were he meets a guy  Cato (Augusto Trainotti) who allows him to dream, and where he is a role model on discipline. In 1961, he moved to Brasilia and got involved with a lyrical choir, where his rare castrati voice and beautiful tone caught the attention of the director after that his life as an actor and singer began, allowing him to grow and reaffirm himself personally and professionally.

Ney´s story is torn between a father who never understood him and a stage that set him free, he carves his path towards artistic truth. It also refers to a period of musical explosion in Brazil as a lead in the Secos & Molhados group in the early 1970s. Ney´s androgynous presence and performances concerned the critics and censors, as well as the mix of folkloric themes and poems with rock music and vibrant colors, feathers and make-up.  By 1975 the group dissolved because it got too famous too fast and Ney continued as a  solist, shining bright like a diamond. 

A special mention to 1976 Rita Lee´s  Bandido Corazon   sequence in the film and the way Jesuita Barbosa embodies the Brazilian living legend.  Unfortunately songs are not subtitled, since language is Portuguese we miss a lot of information and their emotional impact, since music and lyrics are archways essential to the storytelling.

The film tells Ney´s intimacy  and love interests with photographer Cazuza  (Julio Reis) and doctor Marcos de María (Bruno Montaleone)  With guilt and perplexity they all face the AIDS crisis and the passing of beloved ones from 1987 to 1993. The sequence of the snake in the bedroom with the  Keith Haring´s drawing hanging on the wall is very moving. Also the reference to a concert repertoire that says what Ney thinks about the world and life, since from his point ot view virus came to demonstrate we exist and we are humans.

Ney Matagrosso made an impact on Brazilian entertainment and the closing scene of the 2024 concert in Sao Paulo remarks it, with the living legend on screen.

A highly recommendable experience to watch and enjoy, that allows to learn about the Brazilian Ney Matogrosso.  You may find it on Netflix.

9/10