The Ballroom

The Ballroom (Portuguese: Chega de Saudade) is a 2007 Brazilian-French^[2] romantic drama film directed by Laís Bodanzky. The action is set in a dance hall (gafieira) in São Paulo, frequented by elderly people.

The Ballroom
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Laís Bodanzky
Written by	Luiz Bolognesi
Produced by	Laís Bodanzky Caio Gullane Fabiano Gullane Débora Ivanov
Starring	Tonia Carrero Leonardo Villar Betty Faria Stepan Nercessian Cassia Kiss Paulo Vilhena Maria Flor
Cinematography	Walter Carvalho
Edited by	Paulo Sacramento
Music by	Eduardo Bid. Additional music : "C'est si bon" by Henri Betti (1947)
Production companies	Gullane Filmes Buriti Filmes
Distributed by	Buena Vista International
Release dates	November 25, 2007 (2007-11-25) (Brasília Film Festival) March 21, 2008 (2008-03-21) (Brazil)
Running time	92 minutes
Countries	Brazil France
Language	Portuguese
Box office	R$1,591,603[1]

Cast

• Tonia Carrero as Alice
• Leonardo Villar as Álvaro
• Stepan Nercessian as Eudes
• Betty Faria as Elza
• Cassia Kiss as Marici
• Paulo Vilhena as Marquinhos
• Maria Flor as Bel
• Elza Soares as Ana
• Jorge Loredo
• Marly Marley as Liana
• Clarisse Abujamra

Reception

David Parkinson of The Guardian called it a "quirky ensemble piece", and praised it for being "superbly choreographed."^[3] Daily Express's Allan Hunter labeled it as "bittersweet" and gave a rating 3 out of 5, saying "If Robert Altman had ever made a film about an old-fashioned dance hall it might have looked something like The Ballroom."^[4] Writing for the Evening Standard, Derek Malcom commended it by affirming: "If the film doesn't always convince, it has some wonderful moments. Bodanzky’s sympathy with his characters is obvious — and the music is as much an attraction as the series of stories we are told about them."^[5] On the other hand, David Jenkins from Time Out gave a more negative review, stating "this wannabe-steamy film never manages to generate any dramatic heat because it spreads itself far too thinly across its oversized and mundane cast."^[6]