Rosa Morena is a Danish drama set in Brazil, so it’s probably at least as much in Portugeuse as it is in Danish (both languages are subtitled, of course). In the film, Thomas is a single gay man who wants a child. He cannot adopt in Denmark, and he’s hoping that he might be able to find a way to adopt while he’s visiting his friend in Brazil. Complications ensue and abound, and I will not spoil the film by detailing any of them. Mostly I liked it quite a bit, though the ending felt a little too tidy. I’ll give it 
out of 
.
Copacabana is a French comedy set substantially in Belgium, reversing the trend (in the films I’ve seen at this festival anyway) to film in sunnier countries than the film’s country of origin. Isabelle Huppert (from The Piano Teacher, I Heart Huckabees, and 8 Women) is the main reason I picked this film, and even though she is very different here (especially when compared with The Piano Teacher), I’m glad I did. She plays Babou, a free-spirit who doesn’t seem to have held a job for any length of time, and who dreams of traveling or even moving to Brazil. Her daughter (played by her real-life daughter) is far more conventional, which leads to friction. I won’t say more except to say that it surprised me frequently and I really liked it, but it was hurt a little bit by a highly improbable event near the end, so I’ll give it out of .
Both seen on 3/7/2011 at Cinequest.
