The Man Who Copied

Greenlight is a term used in Hollwoodteur circles proclaiming success in getting financing to produce a film project. Recently I read about a Brazilian film from first time director Jorge Furtado called O Homem que Copiava. After seeing The Man Who Copied - English title, I was pleasantly surprised the film got the greenlight.

André Macie (Lázaro Ramos), a young man who works in a photocopier shop in a southern Brazil city. From a distance, between tall apartment buildings and via binoculars, André spots and falls in love with his neighbor Sílvia (Leandra Leal), who works in a clothing store. In order to get closer to her, he decides to purchase a night gown from her shop for his mother's birthday which he can not afford - not to mention it is not his mother's birthday - at least not any time soon.

To pay for it, André begins photocopying money, which quickly spirals out of control. Once he realizes that he can get away with photocopying money, he decides to try it on a slightly larger scale. Even so, he realizes that the amount he can make by photocopying is limited and thus he looks for better ways to get money. Along the way to his next money making situation André employees his sexy co-worker Marinês, one of her dates Cardoso and his criminal minded childhood buddy Feitosa.

The Man Who Copied takes a few unexpected plot twists and turns and André and the gang are involved with a bank heist, an apartment explosion, a lottery winning and two deaths all on their way to a rich new life in Rio de Janerio.

Copied is the perfect movie for Hollywoodteurs to remake - although I see tons of references in recent cool indie films such as 500 Days of Summer, it has all the elements of a great Hollywood film. Unfortunately Hollywoodteurs can only see and recognize one Brazilian film in their lifetime and for now, that is the multi Oscar nominated mega millions generating Cidade de Deus (City of God).