The Ballroom

This affectionate tribute to old-style Brazilian dancehalls is powered by a cheerful samba soundtrack, and the participation of a seemingly ageless Elza Soares, who belts out numbers in the guise of a low-rent house band crooner. Against this pungently authentic backdrop we are guided through a somewhat fraught evening in one such dancehall in Sao Paulo: the clientele are defiantly of a certain age, but still hanging in there for love and action. Stories interlock and criss-cross: Marici (Cássia Kiss) is expecting a final consummation with roué Eudes (Stepan Nercessian), but he is fatally distracted by the decades-younger Bel (Maria Flor). Bel has only turned up to help her DJ boyfriend Marquinhos (Paulo Vilhena) who, despite the age gap, is neurotically threatened by Eudes's old-school moves. This is merely a selection: the dancefloor is a heaving passion pit of senior emotions, every bit as agonised as a teen movie, but with the added ingredient of resignation and failure. Very watchable.