A Dog's Will

"Lying with faith is not always a sin."

2000 1h 44m PT

🙌

8.4

BANGER

★8.4TMDB · 1,250

ComedyDramaFantasyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The lively João Grilo and the sly Chicó are poor guys living in the hinterland who cheat a bunch of people in a small town in Northeastern Brazil. When they die, they have to be judged by Christ, the Devil and the Virgin Mary before they are admitted to paradise.

“Lying with faith is not always a sin.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Matheus Nachtergaele
João Grilo
Selton Mello
Chicó
Fernanda Montenegro
Compadecida
Rogério Cardoso
Padre João
Denise Fraga
Dora
Diogo Vilela
Eurico
Luís Melo
Diabo
Virginia Cavendish
Rosinha

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Guel Arraes
Writers: Guel Arraes, Adriana Falcão, João Falcão
Languages: Latin, Portuguese
Countries: Brazil

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Latin, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "O Auto da Compadecida: Coleção" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Guel Arraes, shot by Félix "Chango" Monti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sérgio Campelo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ubiraci de Motta shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Matheus Nachtergaele and Selton Mello and Fernanda Montenegro carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Lying with faith is not always a sin.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Guel Arraes directs. Félix "Chango" Monti behind the camera. Sérgio Campelo scores. Ubiraci de Motta cuts. Produced in Brazil. Dialogue in Latin, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

126 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Latin, Portuguese.
3Part of the "O Auto da Compadecida: Coleção" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Guel Arraes, shot by Félix "Chango" Monti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Sérgio Campelo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ubiraci de Motta shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Matheus Nachtergaele and Selton Mello and Fernanda Montenegro carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Lying with faith is not always a sin.".
9IMDB entry: tt0271383 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Félix "Chango" Monti
Original score: Sérgio Campelo
Editing: Ubiraci de Motta
Makeup / hair: Marlene Moura
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Status: Released
Box office: $4,903,192
Original language: PT
Certification (US): L
IMDB: A Dog's Will (2000)

Part of

O Auto da Compadecida: Coleção

Also by

Guel Arraes

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2023-08-15
★ 8/10
This film is deeply steeped in Brazilian culture, which may make it inaccessible to some. It's based on a play by Ariano Suassuna, who made his life's mission to preserve Brazilian culture. If you're put off by the surrealistic religion scenes, keep in mind that this spiritualism was still firmly anchored in Brazil in 2000, along with the mash-up of African beliefs - candomblé. I loved the Laurel-and-Hardy style of comedy. The film was not short on laughs. The actors' comedic timing is spot on. The direction is totally in the style of the 20th century comedic soaps (novelas), which were (and maybe still are) wildly popular there.

Production companies