September Mornings Review 2021 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Creator: Josefina Trotta
Stars: Liniker, Thomas Aquino, Karine Teles
If there is a reality that Brazilians know well, it is the “employee’s journey”. Waking up early, “working”, eating “the bread the devil kneaded”, going back to work, having a certain remnant of social life – such as a relationship, for example -, doing odd jobs there and there to “guarantee an extra” and, finally, arriving home to rest, whether alone or with someone. In full “LGBTQIA+ Pride Month”, Or Amazon Prime Video premieres the first season of ‘September Mornings‘ and, despite the plot approaching and highlighting a woman transsexual , the series focuses on exploring two things that every resident of the country has in common: the “runs” of everyday life and the fight for a space in society.
Production Andrea Barata Ribeiro e Bel Berlinck of O2 Filmes, a company founded by Fernando Meirelles (‘City of God’, ‘Dois Papas’) brings a plot full of harsh scenes that show the everyday axiom of a large majority of Brazilians. Be the nozzles, the lack of employment, the long lines to get a job, or even the realization of seeing that the child got good grades at school and being in the place he calls “home”, the proposal of the principals Luis Pinheiro e Dainara Toffoli It’s clear: make those who are watching identify with what is portrayed, using the landscape of downtown São Paulo for five very well-connected and cohesive episodes – having a well-defined and proposed beginning, middle, end and end for continuation.
With the city of São Paulo as a stage and the routine reality already known as a way of representing practically everyone, ‘Manhãs de Setembro’ adds to the premise how difficult it would be to live in the skin of a trans woman. Based on the original idea of journalist Miguel de Almeida, from The Globe, the plot tells the trajectory of Cassandra, who had to leave his hometown to pursue his dream of singing. Gradually, his life seems to fall into place. She manages to rent her own apartment for the first time, she has a boyfriend who loves her, Ivaldo (Thomás Aquino), a work like motogirl and is also achieving her dream of being a cover artist of Vanusa, famous singer from the 70s. Suddenly, an unexpected turn: leid (Karine Teles), with whom she had an involvement in the past, appears with Gersinho (Gustavo Coelho), who she claims is the son of the character played by Liniker.
In fact, the singer-songwriter makes her debut in front of the cameras in a national super production of streaming. And despite the sin of holding back too much when the moment calls for anger, anguish or some “explosion of feelings”, Liniker acts well and conveys truth in what he says. It is remarkable how much the artist seems to have been inspired by her own life story to mold Cassandra in the series, either to disguise and “swallow” other people’s comments disguised as prejudice or even in routine situations that become even more difficult for someone with a different gender of the one assigned to it in consonance with the biological sex.
And even though Cassandra spends the entire series aiming for common goals, such as working, dating, having a social life and – something important for the whole plot – reaching her kitchenette, the script is not afraid to address the difficulties surrounding the social loneliness of trans women. After all, the protagonist stars in the five episodes showing the viewer that, in fact, the most basic things are more complicated for her – from taking her child to school or even having a serious relationship. Showing that the character has the same problems as everyone else, but – in a natural way – added to the prejudice for being a transvestite, black and poor shocks positively in ‘Manhãs de Setembro’ and exhibits a specific inequality in Brazil that occurs even among the less fortunate.
Gustavo Coelho as Gersinho is simply the soul and the lure of the series. The character, who is presented as the protagonist’s son, steals the scene whenever he can and knows how to convey emotion when necessary, even more so by showing that “glow in the eye” of a child who just wants to meet the father, but doesn’t understand the real situation . The child actor alternates between a shy and cute charisma, but his innocence is highlighted: he has no problem with having Cassandra as a father and just wants to be able to have someone to attribute the title.
Gersinho’s development, by the way, is well built by the direction over the five episodes. He and “the father” have a mixed relationship that ranges between the comic and the dramatic, something very similar shown by Bruce Willis and Spencer Breslin in Jon Turteltaub’s ‘Two Lives’ (2000). At no time does Gersinho show any kind of prejudice and just want to understand why Cassandra doesn’t want to be part of the family, a factor that makes Gustavo and Liniker star in the most impactful scenes of ‘Manhãs de Setembro’. After all, what mother does not have a broken heart when hearing from her children that she is “beautiful”?
Another outstanding relationship is that of the protagonist with Ivaldo (Thomás Aquino), her boyfriend. It is practically impossible to approach the factor without giving spoilers about the plot of the series, but it is worth praising the Pernambuco in the supporting role. Just like Package in ‘Bacurau’ (2019), by Kleber Mendonça Filho, the 35-year-old actor is not afraid to risk exposing certain feelings in bolder scenes and is responsible for being the character who takes Cassandra “from heaven to hell” – that is, from the happiest moments to the return to the harsh reality of prejudice for being a trans woman.
Also coming directly from the cast of ‘Bacurau’, there is Karine Teles. Unlike Aquino’s character, she does just the opposite in the series. From the first episode, Gersinho’s biological mother shows herself as a repulsive one, who would do anything to get rid of the situations of the unhappy daily life in order to try to get along, in some way. However, like practically all the characters, there is a rightness in the development of the character – I dare say, even, that it was even the best in the matter. Leide loves her son, but she doesn’t know how to be a good mother and get out of the reality that is inserted and, like any other human being, makes mistakes. The excellent work of the actress with the character has as its apex the last episode, in a scene full of emotion in which she apologizes and justifies what she did to both Gersinho and the audience.
More like guest appearances than supporting actors, Gero Camilo and the former lead singer of Titans Paulo Miklos are “the cherries on the cake” that complement the series full of strong performances and gifts. By making a lovely couple who help Cassandra in any way they can, they are responsible for helping to deconstruct Gersinho, breaking a stereotype that the child never shows, but that he could possibly create.
Another cameo (small apparition) is that of Linn da Quebrada. The singer briefly appears as a friend of the protagonist and, together with actress Clodd Dias, is part of a representation that is rarely seen in movies or series: that of transsexuals in the spotlight. I reiterate that the production does not do this in a way that can be considered forced by viewers, but in a natural way, with the objective of showing the daily lives of these women.
And along with the beautiful photography from São Paulo (with sound mixing and precise cuts in the edition, by the way) and good performances, ‘Manhãs de Setembro’ also brings a soundtrack with iconic songs by none other than Vanusa – what a reference one of the biggest in the name of the production. The singer, who mixes MPB discography with psychedelic rock and died at the end of 2020, talks to Cassandra throughout the series for thought, encouraging her to be more independent and to move on through all the problems. Songs like ‘Paralelas’ and ‘Como Vai Você’ fit well into the story of each episode and serve more as a tribute to the artist than an attempt to make the audience nostalgic. Anyway, fans will like it…
