João, o Maestro

Mauro Lima’s 2017 Brazilian film comes from the life of the pianist and conductor João Carlos Martins. After a closed-off childhood spent with serious illness, the piano arrives and by his twenties he is one of the great promises of classical music. Then his hands stop obeying him: paralysis, injuries and operations make playing impossible, he leaves music for politics, and runs into accusations there too. The way back is through concerts given with one hand and eventually through conducting. Three actors share the part: Davi Campolongo as the boy, Rodrigo Pandolfo through his youth, and Alexandre Nero from maturity onward. Martins is a living musician and was still conducting when the film was made.