We 3 (2011) starring Gabriel Godoy, Victor Mendes, Juliana Schalch, Sophia Reis directed by Nando Olival Movie Review

We 3 (2011)   3/53/53/53/53/5


We 3 (2011) starring Gabriel Godoy, Victor Mendes, Juliana Schalch

The Only Way is Sao Paulo

Brazilian movie "We 3" sounds like something but it isn't. What it sounds like is a sex movie as we have this story of 3 university students living together and becoming romantically involved leading to complications, especially when they agree to be part of a reality TV project. But whilst there is sex and nudity "We 3" isn't about that, it is not a Brazilian take on the comedy "Threesome" in fact I am not sure what "We 3" is. The stylish and artsy nature of it makes it seem like it is trying to show the thin line between, love, lust and passion but it ends up pointing out how fake reality shows are such as "The Only Way is Essex" and "Made in Chelsea".

Whilst attending a party Rafael (Victor Mendes) meets Cazé (Gabriel Godoy) and Camila (Juliana Schalch) and they get on so well that they decide to move in together in the abandoned building which Cazé lives in. But being the only woman Camila sets down some ground rules and says that none of them should date each other. But the rules get broken because whilst Rafael secretly loves Camila she ends up sleeping with Cazé in secret. With university over they are set to go their own ways until they are approached to appear on a reality TV project and things get messy when in order to make things interesting they start making up a fake reality with all 3 in a love triangle.

We 3 (2011) starring Gabriel Godoy, Victor Mendes, Juliana Schalch

The first thing to strike you about "We 3" is the style and director Nando Olival has created a movie which has an artsy tone to it. The opening scene of the flashing party lights quickly establishes that this isn't some movie thrown together with out thought and through out the movie the camera work is wonderful. Shots of the three friends on the rooftop using a water tank as a pool are beautifully shot and the way shots of faces are framed may not be original but are beautiful in establishing the layers of complexity to the relationships.

Now it is those relationships which are initially the focus of the story as we have Rafael having to deal with Camila and Cazé becoming an item when he really likes her and by obeying the rules has been left to watch them from the outside. You can sense his hurt by the fact we come to understand he can't wait for university to be over and the subtle looks of longing help set up this fact that he loves her.

But here is where "We 3" becomes ambiguous as we get the storyline of these 3 friends agreeing to be part of a reality TV project and putting on the act of being a love triangle. I say ambiguous because we have a variety of things going on from the fine line between love, lust and passion as well as how the line between reality and fiction becomes indistinguishable leading to major complications of the heart as the sensitive Rafael is unable to tell whether Camila's affection towards him is staged or real. It is quite clever in the way it shows the issues as that line between real and false becomes indistinguishable but it doesn't really get across the aspect of the difference between love, lust and passion.

Having said that watching "We 3" is entertaining because it is like a behind the scenes of fake reality shows such as "Made in Chelsea" and "The Only Way is Essex". Not only do you have the amusement of the production team having the three friends use various products as a way of subliminally getting people to buy them but we also have them setting up storylines to the point that reality becomes a soap opera. There are a couple of nice clever twists to this which do as they intend and that is make you smile but also gets across how all these supposedly reality shows are so staged.

What this all boils down to is that "We 3" is entertaining but not so much for what you think it will be about or what it appears to be intended to be about but because it delivers a sort of look behind the scenes of fake reality shows.


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