Name: Cartão Vermelho
Genre: Short
Duration: 14 min
Rating: 5.9
Cast: Camila Kolber, Francisco Rojo, Felipe Teixeira Azevedo

This first film experience by Laís Bodansky is a daring and risky view on children discovering their sexuality during the confusing transition to adolescence. We follow a group of 11-12 year-olds composed by several boys and just one girl (Camila Kolber), who joins them during countless soccer games without any kind of prejudice but she's the best player of them all since she knows where to hit them with the ball (lots and lots of balls being crushed).

Two turning points mark her awakening to getting to know the difference between genders: some initial eye-contacts with one of the boys (Francisco Rojo) where both start to see each other in a different and curious way (attraction); and a conflicted play that went wrong and the group acts and reacts negatively to something she did. That second part is where the story moves from the amusing fun and games routine and moves to a more dangerous area. As much some of us hear during our childhood that children aren't evil and all that happens to them are mostly innocent things, seeing this drastic change in their typical behavior was disturbing. Might have been seen as "innocent" in 1994 but by today's standards there'd be a huge outcry everywhere. Yet, the story moves to some light conclusion.

For a first-time director, Bodansky had a great control of everything, from the fine technical aspects to the direction of actors who were all for first-and-only time on camera and they're all played for the São Paulo junior soccer team (probably some of them might have had become successful players in the future). But I really don't know what to feel about this particular story and why such a choice to be made into a film.

A young audience will see it as a curious thing as they're learning about the world and about themselves; but for the adults in the room is just one of those uncomfortable things that generate discussion and a highly critical view of everything. 6/10.

Portuguese-language cinema, spanning Portugal, Brazil, and other Lusophone regions, focuses on history, cultural identity, and the struggles of ordinary people, often framed with poetic or allegorical storytelling. In Portugal, cinema has emphasized meditative pacing and philosophical depth, reflecting on memory and tradition. In Brazil, it has often been politically charged and socially vibrant, highlighting inequality and resilience while experimenting with popular and avant-garde forms.

Alexandre Rodrigues in City of God (2002)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A girl plays soccer with the street kids, and is the best player of them. In a decisive moment of discovery, she begins to experience her first passion and to discover her sexuality.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Cartão Vermelho

Photos

Top Cast13

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed