The Man of the Year (2003 film)

The Man of the Year
Directed by	Jose Henrique Fonseca
Produced by	Jose Henrique Fonseca
Story by	Patrícia Melo
Starring	Murilo Benicio Claudia Abreu Natalia Lage
Music by	Dado Villa-Lobos
Cinematography	Breno Silveira
Editing by	Sergio Mekler
Distributed by	Film Movement, Warner Home Video
Release date(s)	August 1, 2003 (2003-08-01)
Running time	113 minutes
Country	Brazil
Language	Portuguese

The Man of the Year (Portuguese: O Homen do Ano), is a 2003 Brazilian film produced and directed by Jose Henrique Fonseca. It stars Murilo Benicio, Claudia Abreu, and Natalia Lage.^[1][2]

Plot

Maiquel (Murilo Benicio) is a single, ordinary man living in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janiero. After losing a soccer bet to his friends, Maiquel must die his hair blond. This unusual event in his otherwise mundane life, inspires Maiquel to ask his hairdresser, Cledir (Claudia Abreu) out to a bar where he is confronted and bullied by a local criminal named Suel (Wagner Moura). He decides to settle the matter by subsequently buying a rifle which he uses to shoot and kill Suel the next day. He does so in front of Suel's girlfriend. Instead of reprimanding Maiquel, most everyone in the neighborhood, including the police, are overjoyed that he has killed off this local pest, and show their gratitude with gifts. With the news of Maiquel's rise to heroism, influential locals hire him to kill others for him, turning him into a full-on hitman. Maiquel's once dull life becomes one filled with drugs, sex, wealth, and violence as he gradually becomes detached from his wife and becomes less of the "ordinary man" he once was. This path of destruction leads Maiquel to become an outlaw on the run. The film ends with Maiquel dying his hair black and running from the police, realizing just how much his life has changed.

Cast

• Murilo Benício as Máiquel
• Cláudia Abreu as Cledir
• Natália Lage as Érica
• Jorge Dória as dr. Carvalho
• Marcelo Biju as Neno
• André Gonçalves as Galego
• Lázaro Ramos as Marcão
• Perfeito Fortuna as Robinson
• Paulinho Moska as Enoque
• Wagner Moura as Suel
• André Barros as Marlênio
• Carlo Mossy as delegado Santana
• Mariana Ximenes as Gabriela
• Amir Haddad as Gonzaga
• José Wilker as Sílvio
• Agildo Ribeiro as Zilmar

References

1. ^ "The Man of the Year". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312773/. Retrieved 28 June 2011. 
2. ^ "The Man of the Year". San Francisco International Film Festival website. http://history.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=3070. Retrieved 28 June 2011. 

External links

• The Man of the Year at the Internet Movie Database
• The Man of the Year profile, San Francisco International Film Festival website