The period confined at home has made many of us turn our eyes inside ourselves, to the people around us, to the place where we live. Many of us also observed the country we live in, the way the pandemic was handled by those we elected, and most of us were not satisfied with the posture and inactivity of the elected officials. In art, the period of confinement also served as inspiration for various types of production, which are already starting to reach the public this year, such as the drama ‘The Debate’directorial debut of the actor (and now director) Gaius Blat.

We are in the first year of the pandemic, 2020. Confined to their apartment, the couple Paula (Deborah Bloch) and Frames (Paulo Betti) evaluate the seventeen years of marriage while they spend the time of quarantine. At the same time, they judge and analyze the attitudes of the federal government in controlling and managing the pandemic in the country. All of this happens moments before the television channel where the two work welcomes the current president to participate in the long-awaited debate for this year’s elections. That’s why Paula feels conflicted about publishing the results of an exit poll and, in this way, ending up favoring the candidate she considers not the best for the country.

Dizzying and visceral, the heart of ‘the debate‘ is definitely the dialogues. Added to them is the delivery and experience of the most competent Deborah Bloch and Paulo Bettiwith his unbelievable ability to memorize lines and print the right feeling for each situation of his characters, mixing political positions with the traumas of the relationship, sewing and interspersing both concepts with such ease, that it is difficult for the viewer to follow when it ends. one theme and another begins.

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Based on the 84-page eponymous book written by the directors Guel Arraes and Jorge Furtadolaunched in 2021, the production doesn’t exactly adapt the book’s play, so the film has quite a bit of dramaturgy in its just over an hour long. A choice, it is true, that instead of distracting the viewer with an extra half hour of stuffing, focused on what was the main part of the plot: the debate – or, better saying, the different guidelines raised in this dialogue between the protagonists, technique narrative of literary classics such as ‘Waiting for Godot‘ and the Theater of the Absurd by Samuel Beckett.

Gaius Blat makes a good directorial debut, agreeing to call an experienced cast for his first film, and, with that, gain confidence to continue on that path. Still, both script and direction could have been a little more creative in bringing other possibilities for scenes that didn’t necessarily have a cigarette as an accessory; as it stands, the actors literally light up one after the other every time they’re on the television set.

Debuting in the first week of political propaganda released to candidates in the elections 2022‘the debate‘ is an important provocation, especially considering those who are considering the possibility of not positioning their vote in these elections.

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