33

The Brazilian director Kiko Goifman is adopted. One day, he realized that it was 33 years ago that his adoptive mother Berta, born in 1933, took him in. This number struck a chord with him, and he decided to give himself 33 days in which to complete a public search for his birth mother. He consulted private detectives, who gave him sometimes dubious and contradictory advice based on their extensive experience of the gray area between legality and crime. At the same time, these romantic figures provided inspiration for the resulting documentary, shot in black and white and swathed in mystery and melancholy, at times reminiscent of old-fashioned crime movies. Interviews with members of his family, detectives and other interested parties are interspersed with rapidly edited clips of TV appearances by the director, in which he shamelessly bares his soul. As his search progresses, his suspicions mount. Is his adoptive mother telling the whole truth? Are documents being withheld from him? The editing, atmospheric shots of places where he believes he may find answers to his questions, the suggestive voice-over, and the self-imposed deadline all heighten the tension in this dramatic, cinematic quest.