The “six vidas” (six lives) of the title are not just six characters—they are six emotional states: grief, rage, courage, nostalgia, exhaustion, and hypocrisy. Over the course of 110 minutes, Gomes slowly, almost casually, reveals how these emotional states collide. A dropped wallet on a bus. A misdelivered letter. A chance encounter in a 24-hour pharmacy. These are the film’s narrative glue.
Viewers seeking action, tight plotting, or unambiguous happy endings. The film’s conclusion is hopeful but not neat; several threads remain frayed, like real life. six vidas 2018 film
The film’s structure is its boldest gamble. We meet six protagonists whose lives initially appear unrelated: a middle-aged widow (Lúcia, played with aching restraint by Fernanda Rodrigues) who talks to her dead husband’s armchair; a disillusioned young DJ (Rafael, portrayed by Lucas Deluti) whose anger masks a childhood abandonment; a transgender nurse (Eduarda, a scene-stealing turn by Sophia Abrahão) struggling for her father’s acceptance; an elderly bookshop owner (Joaquim, the legendary Antônio Fagundes) facing eviction; a single mother (Carla) working double shifts as a cleaner; and a guilt-ridden lawyer (Marcelo) whose perfect life is a lie. The “six vidas” (six lives) of the title
But the revelation is Sophia Abrahão as Eduarda. Often typecast in lighter roles, Abrahão sheds all pretense here. Her confrontation scene with her estranged father—a cliché on paper—becomes raw and unforgettable because of the tremble in her voice, the way she refuses to cry until she is alone. It is the film’s most powerful performance. A misdelivered letter
The director’s restraint is admirable. He avoids the frantic cross-cutting that plagues many ensemble dramas. Instead, Six Vidas allows each story to breathe in 10-15 minute vignettes before gently pivoting to the next. The result is meditative, though some viewers may find the first act sluggish as they struggle to remember who’s who.
In an era where blockbuster sequels and high-concept thrillers dominate the streaming algorithms, the modest Brazilian drama Six Vidas arrives like a quiet Sunday afternoon: unhurried, reflective, and deceptively deep. Directed by Thiago Gomes (in his feature-length debut), the film attempts to weave a multi-narrative tapestry around the lives of six strangers in São Paulo, each grappling with a singular, universal theme: the ghosts of the past and the redemptive, often painful, power of human connection.
Where Six Vidas truly excels is in its casting. Antônio Fagundes, as the bookshop owner Joaquim, delivers a masterclass in silent acting. In one extended sequence, he simply runs his fingers over the spines of books he can no longer afford to keep. It is heartbreaking without a single line of dialogue.