End of the Line

  • 76'
  • Brazil
  • 2008
The point of departure for Steinberg's colourful, captivating début is the fact that a World Bank official is supposed to have said once that the only way to share the wealth in Brazil a little honestly would be to throw money down from a helicopter. In general, less than 20% of the money intended for the poor actually reaches the people for whom it was meant. While a commitment to their fate often leads to well-meaning documentary pamphlets, End of the Line is inventive and amusing fiction.
Seven events that initially seem entirely separate are slowly but surely interwoven with exciting and delightful satirical consequences. Some events seem far-fetched but are based on reality. An Indian tribal chief calls on his people to stop performing the rain dance. He demands payment for their services, certainly now a drought is threatening energy supplies. A journalist quarrels with his wife about the kind of commissions he wants to get. A homeless man who collects paper finds a packet with something in it. A TV maker is working on a documentary about Charles Ponzi, the inventor of the pyramid fraud. A politician keeps winning the lottery. A baby goes missing and soon gets a taste for money.
The result is an exciting parable about what happens when people put their faith in the absolute power of money. In other words, a parable for our times. (GT)






  • 76'
  • Brazil
  • 2008
Director
Gustavo Steinberg
Premiere
World premiere
Country of production
Brazil
Year
2008
Festival Edition
IFFR 2008
Length
76'
Medium
35mm
Original title
Fim da linha
Language
Portuguese
Producer
Gustavo Steinberg
Production Company
Bits Filmes
Sales
Bits Filmes
Screenplay
Gustavo Steinberg, Guilherme Werneck
Cinematography
Aloysio Raulino
Editor
Lessandro Sócrates
Production Design
Mônica Palazzo
Sound Design
Louis Robin
Cast
Rubens de Falco, Leonardo Medeiros
Local Distributor
Hubert Bals Fund
Director
Gustavo Steinberg
Premiere
World premiere
Country of production
Brazil
Year
2008
Festival Edition
IFFR 2008
Length
76'
Medium
35mm
Original title
Fim da linha
Language
Portuguese
Producer
Gustavo Steinberg
Production Company
Bits Filmes
Sales
Bits Filmes
Screenplay
Gustavo Steinberg, Guilherme Werneck
Cinematography
Aloysio Raulino
Editor
Lessandro Sócrates
Production Design
Mônica Palazzo
Sound Design
Louis Robin
Cast
Rubens de Falco, Leonardo Medeiros
Local Distributor
Hubert Bals Fund