Festa (film)

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Festa is a 1989 Brazilian comedy-drama directed and written by Ugo Giorgetti. It stars Antônio Abujamra, Adriano Stuart, Jorge Mautner, and Iara Jamra, and was produced and distributed by Embrafilme.

Plot
A professional snooker player, his assistant, and a musician are hired to entertain at a fancy high-society party in a luxurious mansion. The maître d. forbids them from going to the upstairs party area, so they must stay on the downstairs floor near the snooker table, waiting to be asked to play. The musician can only go upstairs if invited. The three wait on a sofa, unable to enjoy the food and drinks. They secretly drink a bottle of alcohol they steal. They notice a housemaid they find interesting. A famous television actor arrives and causes a stir among staff. Two Italian waiters fight and are expelled. The musician goes upstairs without permission and is scolded. The guests come down to the lower floor, the trio is surprised after waiting for hours, and the host introduces them to the guests before the party ends. Dawn arrives, they are paid, and they leave. The film was shot entirely on one set—the downstairs floor where the three men waited.

Cast
Antônio Abujamra, Adriano Stuart, Jorge Mautner, Iara Jamra, and others.

Production and release
Produced by NDR Filmes, Quanta, Embrafilme, and La Luna. Released on 29 June 1989. Running time is 87 minutes. Language is Portuguese. Country: Brazil.

Reception
- Inácio Araújo (Folha de S.Paulo) called Festa perhaps the last great Embrafilme-era work: modest and anti-party, showing a class divide between the party and the professionals. He notes the film doesn’t resent the injustice and seems resigned to it, reflecting the artists’ subordinate place in society.
- Octavio Caruso (Devo Tudo ao Cinema) called it a Brazilian cinema jewel that won several Gramado awards and deserves rediscovery.
- Eduardo Kaneco (Leitura Fílmica) said the film could feel like a play because most action happens in one setting and relies on dialogue, but Giorgetti uses cinematic techniques too. He complimented the performances of Abujamra, Stuart, Mautner, Jamra, and others, and praised the use of freeze-frames and a panoramic opening shot that reveals the set.