Vanda Lacerda

A three-episode anthology film based on short stories by Brazilian writer Graciliano Ramos.

A man living with his parents in a low middle-class apartment in Rio de Janeiro coldly stabs them with a razor and then goes to the movies. Marcia, a rich and dissatisfied young woman, takes advantage of a trip from her husband to go to her home in Petrópolis, where she receives a visit from an old friend, Regina.

After visiting a fortune teller, Zulmira is informed that a blonde woman will threaten her peace. After talking to her husband Toninho, she suspects that her cousin Glorinha may be that blonde.

Follows the decadence of an incestuous oligarch family in a rural Brazilian household through the years during the early 20th century.

Adelina Gomes, a poor girl, daughter of peasants, with a primary education and some manual training, shy and submissive to her mother, had never had a boyfriend until she was 18 years old, when she fell in love with a man who was not accepted by her mother. He submitted himself to the fact and gradually withdrew until one day he strangled the cat, which he liked very much. By killing the cat, Adelina denied herself as a woman, taking refuge in madness with great aggression.

The story of Paulo Honório, a poor ploughman who becomes a rich farmer. Obsessed by his desire to get even richer, he doesn't pay much attention to his wife, Madalena, a teacher who reacts against his tyrannical ways.

In Rio de Janeiro, a successful yet underpaid young accountant lives with his pregnant wife in small apartment in middle class neighborhood of Copacabana. Unsatisfied with their way of life, the couple decides to accept the offer of becoming housekeepers of a rich man's vacation residence in a beach town.

A veteran popular singer remembers her early days before fame as a humble woman who faced many obstacles in order to achieve fame, notoriety and make her dreams come true. Her life, the songs, the men she knew and helped her on her ladder to success all have a big influence on her life.

A man dies and in heaven receives the mission of helping his former boss love life.

The seamstress Manuela, Tati's single mother, moves from the suburbs to Copacabana but faces severe financial difficulties. A friend of Manuela's sometimes fills in for Tati's father, giving the girl temporary happiness.

The story of a civil servant who lives with his elderly mother. Falling in love with a corrupt politician's young and rich daughter, he abandons himself to crazy and violent situations.

In hopes of unraveling the causes and cure for various forms of insanity, a psychiatrist in Brazil created the Museum of Images from the Unconscious in 1952. It gathered paintings and drawings made by mental patients from all over Brazil. Many of the works in the museum are paired with the case-histories of the patients who created them in this fascinating film.

Four directors tell stories related to the concept of happiness.

The episode dives into the mystical universe of Carlos Pertius, the son of a family of French immigrants, hospitalized at the age of 29. After facing personal problems such as the death of his father, one day he caught a glimpse of a cosmic image, which he named “the planetarium of God”. He was incarcerated at Praia Vermelha hospital, in Rio de Janeiro, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. In 1946, he began to attend the studio created by Nise da Silveira, becoming fond of it as if it were his home. His works are marked by the presence of mandalas, signs of his attempts to organize psychic chaos.

Patricia, an orphan living in a traveling amusement park, believes the stars will bring her happiness. One day, an astrologer predicts the impossible: the young woman, an Aquarius, will fall in love with a Pisces boy, a sign initially incompatible with hers. The girl does, in fact, become enchanted by the wealthy student Renato, but he doesn't feel the same way. Patricia travels to Rio de Janeiro, where she befriends a gentleman whom she affectionately calls Mr. Pepe, unaware that he is Renato's great-uncle and the owner of the company where she begins working. Mr. Pepe discovers fraudulent activities committed by his family and decides to fake his death to observe the dispute over his inheritance.

Serafina is a romantic young woman who dreams of experiencing great love. Claude is a wealthy businessman who is in the country illegally. The two make a deal that will transform their lives.

A poor young woman, unhappy with her inevitable destiny as a suburban housewife, gets a job as a nanny for a wealthy family and falls in love with her employer's brother, using every trick to win him over and ultimately become the lady of the mansion. .

Lauro Fontana wants to build the biggest hotel in Brazil, but he needs to convince the Camará brothers to sell the mansion they live in, facing ethical dilemmas and personal obstacles.

After her divorce, Malu faces challenges in supporting her daughter and reinventing herself, grappling with loneliness, work, and the search for a new place in the world.

Carlos Zanata, an exemplary family man, is unexpectedly arrested on Christmas Eve. As the family falls apart, his wife Maria faces everything to discover the truth.

Ramiro is a 40-year-old lawyer and university professor who returns to Brazil after eight years of exile in France as a result of the military dictatorship. Recently separated from Dora, he meets Elisa, the youngest daughter of a couple of friends of his parents, who will turn his life upside down.