‘Aquarius’: Sonia Braga soars as woman on verge of eviction
‘Aquarius’: Sonia Braga soars as woman on verge of eviction
The plot of “Aquarius” may sound pedestrian — a 65-year-old widow fighting real estate developers to stay in her home — but this Brazilian movie is a fascinating character study and a poetic meditation about how a place plays into our psyche.
Most of all, it’s a worthy showcase for actress Sonia Braga, who seems to have been waiting for this role all her life.
Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”) portrays Clara, a woman on the verge of eviction, with an electric mix of intelligence, stubbornness, sensuality, tenderness and reflection.
Braga came to international stardom as a bombshell in the 1970s, and her allure is still quite evident.
“Aquarius” has a lot of things on its mind, and sometimes the plot machinations in the last third seem a tad heavy-handed, almost as if they’re being piled upon a delicate character sketch.