Turn It Up, It's Rock 'n' Roll

Tomás Portella's 2024 Brazilian film follows Luiz Antônio, who is put in charge of a bankrupt radio station. He has no money, an inexperienced team and only his enthusiasm for rock music. The film tells how the station became a centre. Programming, listener calls and transmission problems sit inside the narrative, while the rise of the Brazilian rock scene in the eighties runs in the background. The narrative starts from a real station. Johnny Massaro leads. The tone is light, the music at the centre and the period design detailed. The close settles in a nostalgic place. Who it's for: those who like music-driven Brazilian films. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a critical account of the industry; the film largely affirms the period.