CineMas Cool: 'Elvis & Madona' Is A Must-See Love Story

By Sharmaine Jones

Team Blogamole recently attended the 8th Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil event in New York. With 15 films representing the best of Brazil’s most exciting new cinema, it was a daunting task to profile just one, so we decided to cover a festival favorite: "Elvis & Madona," Marcelo Laffitte’s feature debut that is not your typical romcom.

The film is set in Rio de Janeiro’s neighborhood of Copacabana, where Elvis (played by Simone Spoladore), a talented lesbian photographer, befriends Madona, a ravishing drag performer who works as a hairstylist by day and performs in Rio’s drag clubs at night. As the director explained to BrazilNYC, the film depicts how "love can arise in any situation."

In “Elvis & Madona,” The brilliance about writer/director Marcelo Laffitte's story is that he manages the contrary by focusing on the relationship itself and not the gender or sexuality of the parties involved. More than just a "LGBT film," Laffitte was able to create a story that all people can relate too.

A Chance Encounter
Set in Copacabana, Elvis is starting a new job at a pizzeria. Her first delivery is to Madona's house, where Elvis finds her on the floor wounded from a beating given to her by her creepy looking boyfriend, Tripod Joe. Madona explains to Elvis that Joe stole the money she was saving to finance her “Big Show.” Elvis offers some words of encouragement and the exchange between the two revealed an instant attraction.

The Journey Begins
The two start off as friends but it doesn't take long before their attraction for one another takes over. Their union is just like any other relationship, complete with feelings of happiness, giddiness, fear, jealousy, acceptance, disagreements, and insecurities. It's pretty much smooth sailing up until Elvis discovers she is pregnant. Madona, the ever-so-supportive partner, in a grand gesture, decides to discard his “drag” clothing for a day to accompany Elvis to tell her parents about the baby.

Elvis' endearing yet dysfunctional family consists of an overbearing mother, a potty-mouthed grandmother, a “perfect” sister as well as her “perfect” husband, and a father that just goes with the flow. (Reminds you of your own family, doesn't it?) The news goes over surprisingly well and Elvis and her mother even share a bonding moment.

The Plot Thickens...
Madona is working to raise capital to finance her “Show.” Meanwhile, Elvis is working part-time as a freelance photographer and she sells one of her photos - which happens to be an incriminating picture of Joe - to a newspaper landing him a trip to jail. Upon his release, Joe is hell-bent on exacting revenge, thinking Madona set him up.

Madona - with a deadline for a deposit on the theater nearing - realizes that she doesn't have enough money so she decides to accept an offer to star in a pornographic film. Guess who - to Madona's surprise - is her co-star? Tripod Joe. We're betting you can also guess who's hands the video ultimately ends up in. Yes, Elvis'!

Final Thoughts
We don't want to ruin the ending for you, but overall, Laffite effectively unfolded the relationship between two unique characters, using a playful energy that captivates you. We appreciated the film's refreshingly nonchalant attitude about sexual diversity; the chemistry between actors Igor Cotrim and Simone Spoladore was natural and enhanced their ability to bring the characters (rather than their “labels”) to life.

Keep your eyes peeled for new screening dates by visiting the official "Elvis & Madonna" site and YouTube channel.

What is your favorite film set in Brazil? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags cinema, CineMas Cool, Latin American, LGBTQ