The movie “Little Secret,” directed by David Schurmann, is the Brazilian foreign-language Oscar candidate. Based on true events “Little Secret” is a film with three interlocked stories all connected by a single secret that converge to reveal the tragic yet beautiful lives of three families and how hope, dreams and destiny can unite people from very different parts of the world.
Adopted at childhood by a loving family after facing the loss of her parents, Kat led a life full of adventures. Now in her teenage years she is trying to fit into a “normal” life, as the world shows her how cruel living can be. After discovering a secret which threatens her life, she wonders if her dreams are still possible. Heloisa is a dedicated mother who has been entrusted with the secret and will do everything to keep her family together; however, she knows that the future is unpredictable. Jeanne, a beautiful young Amazonian native, falls in love with Robert, a New Zealander, with whom he discovers that her possibilities are infinite, however she forgets that destiny has plans of its own. Barbara, an older English woman, who became cold and lonely, is capable of doing anything to get what she wants. When the past knocks on her door, she sets out on a journey to rediscover love.
Critic Alcino Leite Neto, writing for Folha de S.Paulo, heavily criticized the film, calling it “one of the worst of the recent Brazilian films” and “an ocean of clichés and sentimentality”.
Conversely, critic Luciano Trigo, writing for G1, praised the film saying that “Little Secret is indeed the best Brazilian film in the last few years. In style, form and content, it is fully accredited to compete and win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film”.