Bel Borba Aqui
Abramorama | Release Date: October 5, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoOct 20, 2012
The film doesn't see any contradictions between the man and his work, which is folkloric, mostly upbeat, often humorous. Both art and artist are outsized and entertaining, and that's about all that Bel Borba Aqui has to say. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinNov 18, 2012
What the film lacks in biographical depth, it makes up for with stirring visuals (including effective bits of split screen, time-lapse photography and animation), a vibrant score and an infectious, in-the-moment spirit. Read full review
60
Time OutSam AdamsOct 2, 2012
At one point, Borba speaks with keen perspicacity about embracing Bahian folklore even when it verges on stereotype. This documentary mirrors the enthusiasm of that embrace, but not its artistry. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeOct 6, 2012
Will charm many arthouse patrons, though some highbrow-leaning art lovers will find the subject unworthy of such attention. Read full review
50
New York PostV.A. MusettoOct 5, 2012
Borba keeps referring to himself as "a hero," but the directors, Burt Sun and André Costantini, never delve into his psyche. On the plus side is Costantini's luscious cinematography. Read full review
50
The New York TimesRachel SaltzOct 4, 2012
Bel Borba Aqui gives us plenty to look at, but not much to think about. Read full review
50
VarietyRonnie ScheibOct 3, 2012
A vibrant catalogue of his outdoor pieces presented in context with an exhaustive portrait of Borba as a boundlessly energetic, iconoclastic creator, the documentary ties itself too tightly to its subject, mimicking forms and rhythms it never fully makes its own. Read full review
50
Village VoiceChris PackhamOct 2, 2012
Now he's famous, and the production of the documentary Bel Borba Aqui, practically a montage of color, music, and Borba's constant laughter, coincides with his local acclaim. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineDiego SemereneOct 1, 2012
There's no pointing toward something other than the work itself, no poetic digression, no suggestion of a conceptual dimensionality to the work being produced. Read full review
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