What if you could clone yourself out of your miserable life? This Brazilian gem asks, then breaks your heart anyway.
The film tells the story of Arnaldo, that to get rid of his miserable life, seeks of a clinic that promises to copy people. With a copy occupying his place, he would take a new life. But, when having his request denied, Arnaldo has no choice but to try and change the course of his history. When he falls in love with Josie, the clerk of a pet cemetery, Arnaldo believes that he found a chance to finally be happy. But maybe he's wrong. A Lone Man is an urban fable that addresses the complexity of relationships, with a good dose of irony, and humor.
Acting
Vladimir Brichta plays both Arnaldos with heartbreaking specificity.
Production
The pet cemetery as romantic setting is unhinged genius.
Writing
Irony so sharp you'll laugh then immediately feel attacked.
Director
Cláudia Jouvin
Vladimir Brichta
Arnaldo / Arnaldo 2
Mariana Ximenes
Josie
Otávio Müller
Mascarenhas
Ingrid Guimarães
Aline
Eliane Giardini
Tia Leila
Daniel Aráoz
Dr. Döppel
Milhem Cortaz
Cássio
Aramis Trindade
Tipo Magro
Cadu Fávero
Cigano
Murilo Grossi
Tomé
Natália Lage
Cecília
Luíza Mariani
Suzana
Sandro Rocha
Cadu
Letícia Isnard
Sônia
Débora Lamm
Ruth
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Cláudia Jouvin co-wrote with Hsu Chien Hsin, blending Brazilian urban anxiety with East Asian sci-fi influences. The cloning clinic's sterile aesthetic deliberately evokes Tarkovsky's Solaris.
Released during Brazil's 2016 political collapse, the film's cloning-as-escape metaphor hit different — audiences read Arnaldo's desperation as national allegory. The pet cemetery setting references Campo de Santana, a real São Paulo landmark where people actually married their pets.
BR
