AllMovie

Filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho walks the narrow line between reality and drama in this offbeat documentary. Coutinho placed a classified ad in a Brazilian newspaper looking for ordinary women who would be willing to discuss their lives on camera. After filming interviews with twenty-three subjects who responded, Coutinho narrowed his focus down to eight women, and then brought in five actresses to re-enact their stories on camera -- Andrea Beltrao, Lana Guelero, Marilia Pera, Mary Sheyla and Fernanda Torres. In Jogo de Cena (aka Playing), Coutinho cuts back and forth between interviews with the women who share their real-life stories and the actresses interpreting their monologues, discussing everything from their lives with their families to movies they've seen. Periodically, the actresses take a break from their roles to discuss their own perspectives on the project and the nature of their craft. Playing received its North American premiere at the 2008 Miami Film Festival.