The New York Times
…The third feature in a trilogy by Tata Amaral, “Antonia” pulses with color and movement. Filmed in the São Paulo suburb of Vila Brasilândia, the movie has an earthy realism underscored by naturalistic performances and a restless camera. Maximizing her nonprofessional cast of Brazilian hip-hop performers, the director fills the soundtrack with a vibrant blend of R&B, soul and rap. When the group sings an a cappella version of “Killing Me Softly,” you may forget to breathe.
Driven by a screenplay (by Ms. Amaral and Roberto Moreira) that evolved during rehearsals, “Antonia” explores cultural and sexual oppression with sensitivity and verve. The story may lack complexity, but it is loaded with irrepressible energy and a deep appreciation of female friendship. And that’s always something to sing about. Read more…
LA Weekly
…The music, rhythms and vibrant colors of the city are beautifully woven into cinematographer Jacob Sarmento Solitrenick’s unobtrusive hand-held camerawork, while director/co-writer Tata Amaral reveals a deft hand with actors. The largely nonprofessional cast is headed by Brazilian rap star Negra Li and pop singer Leilah Moreno, so authentic that they seem to be acting out their own life stories — and very well may be. Read more…
Campus Circle
…Antonia is a beautiful and elegantly constructed film that rings of authenticity. This effect was doubtlessly aided by the fact that the director chose to use actors with little professional experience whose real life stories were similar to those portrayed in the film.… Antonia is essentially the story of how individuals struggle for hope, how they use their art to affirm what is beautiful and sacred in life. It’s about learning to smile again even through enormous suffering. In short, Antonia is a fabulous film that deserves our highest regard.… Grade: A+ Read more…
Local Talk News
…Antonia is rather weird for an overcoming-the-odds flick in that the four newcomers cast in the starring roles are obviously attempting to achieve in real-life what the characters they're portraying are trying to do in the saga on screen. It all adds up to an entertaining adventure… Very good (3 stars) Read more…
L.A. Watts Times
While the movie is done in Portuguese with English subtitles, much of what happens in “Antonia” doesn’t really need translation because it transcends any language barriers. It’s a familiar story that crosses cultural lines.… The music is raw and affecting, while the strong performances from the four main female characters are engaging. Their lyrics are tight and seemingly an anthem to the power of women.… Amaral’s style highlights intimacy and motion, which pulls an audience in.… “Antonia” is a winner! Read more…
Los Angeles CityBeat
With more forced catastrophes than Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (only without permission to giggle along), the film's tone is more solemn and slow than you'd want from a musical packed with taut abs and bloodshed. But just when writer-director Tata Amaral's soul-crushing moralism has you restless and rolling your eyes, the hapless rappers claw their way to a reunion and prove that perseverance, passion, and a great array of midriff shirts can win over any crowd. Only the heartless could refuse to smile along. Read more…
The Village Voice
The music, rhythms, and vibrant colors of the city are beautifully woven into cinematographer Jacob Sarmento Solitrenick's unobtrusive handheld camera work, while director/co-writer Tata Amaral reveals a deft hand with actors. Read more…
Time Out NY
[ Four Stars ]... Led by the defiant Preta (Li), these lullaby-delivering, Brazilian hip-hop divas-in-the-making provide ample warm and fuzzies through solid amateur performances until relationship drama, jail time and a couple of murders dare to divide the childhood BFFs. Visually vibrant, this memorable movie gratifies with fresh, modern girl power. Read more…
New York Magazine
This understated drama from Brazil tracks the progress of an endearing all-girl band of performers as they struggle to make a name for themselves in poverty-stricken crime-ridden Sal Paulo. Dreamgirls it isn’t, and that’s for the better: The way these four women tackle the obstacles they face and the gentle tack taken by director Tata Amaral make for an easygoing, enjoyable ride, if one that isn’t particularly memorable after the fact. (1 hr. 30 mins.; PG-13) Opens 9/21.
Rotten Tomatoes
This is a musically powerful film with a non-scripted dialogue that I found to be uniquely made well. Negra Li (Preta) who is the queen of Brazilian rap has a screen presence that is sensational. The three other ladies who are gifted singers are magnificent as screen actors. The plot is predictable, but overwhelmingly sensitive and emotionally moving. — Gerald Wrignt
The Brasilians: Antonia, A Film by Tata Amaral
On the outskits of the largest city in South America, four young black women struggle to make their dream of living off their music come true. Read more…
Netflix, Anywhere pact for ‘Antonia’
Anywhere Road and Netflix’s Red Envelope Entertainment have acquired the award-winning North American rights to “Antonia,” the Brazilian musical drama from writer/director Tata Amaral. Read more…
Anywhere Road and Red Envelope Take U.S. and Canadian Rights to “Antonia”
New San Francisco-based distributor Anywhere Road and Red Envelope Entertainment have acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to writer/director Tata Amaral’s Brazilian musical drama “Antonia,” Robert Ogden Barnum, president of Anywhere Road and Bahman Naraghi, head of Red Envelope Entertainment announced recently. Read more…
Dispatch from Havana: At a Fest in Cuba, Linking Films and the Current Political Climate
Amaral creates an intriguing tension between the artifice of their live shows, which begin in nearly all-male prole bars and move into more bourgeois clubs, and the grittiness of the slums, the verticality of which she astutely captures, and where social and economic conditions threaten to undermine both their private and professional lives. Read more…
Blame It on São Paolo
Antonia’s director Tata Amaral and producer Georgia Arayo brought the sweet sounds of São Paolo’s streets to the Toronto International Film Festival with their coming-of-age tale about an all female rap group on the rise. Watch it now!