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Rule 34 (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Rule 34' is a 2022 drama film directed by Julia Murat and starring Sol Miranda. The title of the film is based on the Internet phenomenon Rule 34. Structured as a series of short episodes, it follows a young law student who develops a passion for defending women in abuse cases. At the same time, her own sexual interests lead her into a world dominated by violence and eroticism.
The co-production between Brazil and France, distributed by Imovision, premiered at the 75th Locarno Film Festival on 10 August 2022, where it won the Golden Leopard for Best Film.
Cast
* Sol Miranda as Simona
* Lucas Andrade as Coyote
* Lorena Comparato as Lucia
* Isabela Mariotto as Nat
Production
Development
'Rule 34' is the third feature film by Brazilian director and screenwriter Julia Murat. The film's title refers to the so-called Rule 34, an Internet maxim which asserts that Internet pornography exists concerning every conceivable topic. The project was part of the 2019 Berlinale Co-Production Market. Murat wrote the screenplay together with Gabriela Capello, Rafael Lessa and Roberto Winter.Filming
Filming took place in 2020. Having lacked the money to complete the film, Murat received a 35,000 grant in July 2021 as part of the Gothenburg Film Festival. The money came from the festival's Audiovisual Fund, set up at the initiative of the Swedish government to protect democracy around the world.Release
The film premiered at the 75th Locarno Film Festival on 10 August 2022, where it won the Golden Leopard for Best Film. It also made it to 'World Cinema' section of 27th Busan International Film Festival to be screened on 8 October 2022.
Reception
Independent Swiss journalist Michael Sennhauser saw a playful, cleverly argued film "with a clear provocative twist". As with the competition entry 'Tengo sueos elctricos', which received three awards in Locarno, it clearly plays a role that there is a female director behind the work. "Precisely because it [the film] moves in this area where personal freedom only works as long as they mutually agree that encroachment is negotiable," stated Sennhauser. Neil Young writing in 'Screen Daily' also saw a "surprise winner". It is "a fascinating and ambitious third feature film" and "a sensual, intimate character study" by Murat. Newcomer Sol Miranda put on a "strong central performance" by a "multifaceted black woman [...] in bustling Rio de Janeiro." With her play, she penetrates the didactic tendencies of the screenplay and the theoretical treatises disguised as dialogue. Young, however, criticized the "stylistically conventional" images by cameraman Leo Bittencourt in comparison to the red-hot topics dealt with, which are kept "pervasively flat in TV style" and would therefore hardly lose their impact on the small screen. The climax of the film is the final 75-second shot of Simona's real-life meeting with her online follower. Lead actress Miranda shows a "convincing range of emotions" and the close-up is reminiscent of Greta Garbo in 'Queen Christine' (1933), Bob Hoskins in 'The Long Good Friday' (1980) and Mia Farrow in 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' (1985).
Accolades
References
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