Is Aperana Street 52 Worth Watching? Honest Movie Review & Audience Verdict (2012)

📖 The Core Premise

With the release of Aperana Street 52 (2012), audiences are invited back into the world of Documentary. At its heart, the film explores complex themes wrapped in a compelling storyline. As the plot unfolds, we see characters navigating a world where stakes are high. "In his film Rua Aperana 52 Júlio Bressane describes the invention of a landscape, the topology of a corner of Rio de Janeiro. The film consists of a series of photographs taken between 1909 and 1955 by, among others, Bressane's parents at and around the address used as a title. These are interlarded with scenes from films made between 1957 and 2005, bringing the total fictional time the film covers to almost a century; one hundred years in which the winding road featured in almost every shot structures the new landscape behind the Aperana, which means 'wrong road'. Rua Aperana 52 is autobiographical, as it is a landscape from Bressane's youth, but it is also not so; it is more a multi-subjective mythology of a place seen through all those films and photographs. Bressane refers to his editing as an intuitive form of thinking aimed at evoking moods which make the viewer the new witness of the fictional landscape. A fiction about a fiction,"

🎬 Performance & Direction

A movie's success often hinges on its execution. While not a career-best, Joel Barcellos's presence adds a necessary stability to the proceedings. The direction aims to balance pacing with character development, a hallmark of good Documentary. While there are moments of brilliance, the pacing occasionally dips.

🤔 Why You Should Watch (or Skip)

Is Aperana Street 52 worth your time? If you appreciate Documentary films that take risks, this is likely a decent one-time watch. However, if you are looking for a flawless masterpiece, you might find some plot points predictable.

🏆 Final Verdict

Ultimately, Aperana Street 52 is a mixed bag with some redeeming qualities. With a runtime of 80 minutes, it asks for a significant time investment, but for the right audience, it pays off.

Our recommendation: Watch on OTT.