SCREEN DAILY

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Malu On A Bicycle (Manu De Bicicleta)

4 October, 2010 | By Mark Adams, chief film critic

Dir: Flavio Amos Tambellini. Brazil. 2010. 96mins

Malu On A Bicycle might offer no real surprises in its tale of romance, love and
jealousy, but it is delightfully performed (especially by Fernanda De Freitas as
Malu) and set against impressive Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo locations. It has a
certain charm and could interest distribs and certainly deserves to feature in
film festivals.

It is breezily watchable and delightfully romantic.

Screening in competition at the Rio Film Festival the film, the film is a breezy
romantic drama that is enjoyably fresh and certainly very watchable.

The film opens in Sao Paolo where serial womanizer Luiz Mario (Mercallo Serrado)
opens a new nightclub called Espacofabrica, but after success and more than a few
inconsequential affairs he starts hearing voices and needs to take break.
He heads off to Rio de Janeiro, and after wandering down the Copacabana beach he
accidentally bumps into Malu, who is cycling along the beach.

They start a passionate love affair and try to make their romance work, with Malu
regularly travelling to Sao Paulo to be with Luiz. But she is a free-spirited Carioca
and he is a Paulista, and despite their best intentions their relationship falters and a
misunderstanding about a love letter causes even more trouble.

Marcello Serrado is suitably charming and confused as Luiz, though the real
revelation is the fresh and sexy Fernanda De Freitas who dominates the film with an
innate charm and fresh style. As a traditional romantic drama Malu On A Bicycle may
well offer no real surprises, but it is breezily watchable and delightfully romantic.

Production company: Tambellini Filmes, Downtown Filmes, RioFilme

Producers: Silvia Costa, Flavio Amos Tambellini

Screenplay: Marcello Rubens Paiva, Joao Avelino, Bruno Mazzeo

Cinematography: Gustavo Hadba

Editor: Quito Ribeiro, Sergio Mekler

Music: Dado Villa-Lobos

Main cast: Marcello Serrado, Fernanda De Freitas, Marjorie Estiano, Daniella Galli