There’s much to admire in Night Stage, Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Relon’s third feature film, set in Porto Alegre.
Directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Relon’s third feature film Night Stage (Ato Noturno) is an erotic thriller, premiering in the Panorama section of this year’s Berlinale. The directing duo have been known for their standout movies in the South American queer renaissance scene, creating films pulsating with desire, intensity and passion, always grounded in questions of political and social structures.
The same can be said of Night Stage, which takes place in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, and follows Matias (played by Gabriel Faryas), a young man at the start of his career, hungry for success, fame and fortune as an actor/dancer. Working with a local theatre troupe, he performs alongside his roommate and friend Fabio (Henrique Barreira), a masculine, confident and equally ambitious young dancer. Their performances during the auditions and shows at the theatre are a captivating watch, even for those not usually interested in contemporary dance.
The pair’s friendship is intricately portrayed; their tenderness, care and affection for one another contrasted beautifully with their hyper competitiveness and desire to reach the heights of fame and fortune that they both so desire. When a talent scout appears at the theatre troupe’s auditions, she compliments Matias, but chooses to give her card to Fabio, ostensibly due to his masculine bravado which she feels Matias (being the more effeminate of the two) lacks. Matias’s ambitions, however, cannot be quashed, and he does everything within his power to get to the auditions, despite being turned away at every step.
Enter Rafael (Cirillo Luna), a powerful, conventionally attractive, charismatic man Matias meets on a dating app. Their connection is immediately charged with intensity, and their relationship unfolds in a series of sensual, strikingly shot sex scenes – often public, always unapologetic, and fuelled by the same ambition that drives them both. Rafael’s ambitions, however, lie in politics; he’s running for mayor, and he uses his influence and connections to aid Matias’s career. Due to his string pulling, Matias lands the role Fabio had previously auditioned for, fracturing their friendship, as Matias’s relationship with Rafael intensifies.
As Matias and Rafael rise – one in acting, the other in politics – the film’s thriller element kicks in. Power and desire become inseparable, but with success comes the danger and violence and the Brazilian underworld. Rafael’s mafioso bodyguard is creepily portrayed by Ivo Müller, who’s unsettling performance brilliantly brings to life the thriller element of the movie.
There’s much to admire in Night Stage – the hypnotic dance sequences in the theatre and nightclubs, the intoxicating chemistry between the lead characters, and the sheer beauty of its imagery. Yet, despite all this, the film lacks the weight to leave a lasting impression. It’s a captivating watch, but one that fades a little too fast.
Read our interview with the directors.
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