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Poster for Reaching for the Moon

Reaching for the Moon

2013 · 118 min

A lush, slow-burning period romance that immerses you in creative passion and personal turmoil, leaving a lingering melancholy.

Directed by
Bruno Barreto
Genres
Drama, Romance
Tagline
Two iconic women. One passion.
Overview
In 1951, New York poet Elizabeth Bishop travels to Rio de Janeiro to visit Mary, a college friend. The shy Elizabeth is overwhelmed by Brazilian sensuality. She is the antithesis to Mary’s dashing partner, architect Lota de Macedo Soares. Mary is jealous, but unconventional Lota is determined to have both women at all costs. This eternal triangle plays out against the backdrop of the military coup of 1964. Bishop’s moving poems are at the core of a film which lushly illustrates a crucial phase in the life of this influential Pulitzer prize-winning poet.

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Directed by
Bruno Barreto
Genres
Drama, Romance
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • love
  • identity
  • art
  • betrayal
  • grief
Places
  • big city
  • single country house
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence none
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour2
Realism8
Romance7
Tension4
Darkness4
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

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Cast

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