The Passion According to G.H., Clarice Lispector s mystical novel of 1964, concerns a well-to-do Rio sculptress, G.H., who enters her maid s room, sees a cockroach crawling out of the wardrobe, and, panicking, slams the door crushing the cockroach and then watches it die. At the end of the novel, at the height of a spiritual crisis, comes the most famous and most genuinely shocking scene in Brazilian literature

Lispector wrote that of all her works this novel was the one that best corresponded to her demands as a writer. "

Rebelling against the Elvis-based, American-imported rock scene in late '60s Brazil, Caetano Veloso suffused lyrical Brazilian folksongs with fuzz guitar, avant-jazz, and electronic music-and in doing so blew apart the status quo of Brazilian culture. Caetano and the movement he catalyzed, "tropicalia," urged an adoption of personal freedom in politics, music, and lifestyle. His "rabble-rousing," as the government saw it, would get Caetano and his comrade Gilberto Gil arrested and exiled to London to wait out the military dictatorship. His fame increasing by the year, Caetano focused on writing songs about his homeland, returning to Brazil as a national hero-a mantle he still wears today. His most recent album, "Live in Bahia," was released to international critical and popular acclaim.

Marcelo Machado's documentary charts the history and influence of the late 1960s Brazilian counter-cultural movement known as Tropicália. Taking its name from an installation created by Hélio Oiticica in 1967, the Tropicália movement was an artistic response to Brazil's military dictatorship of the time, encompassing theatre, poetry, and music. In addition to combining both the popular and the avant-garde, the movement was also noted for fusing traditional Brazilian culture with foreign influences. The film revisits the movement's legacy through the use of archive material and the participation of leading Tropicália figures of the day, including Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso.

An inspiring mission to rescue young people from drugs and violence with music
At a time when interest in Brazilian culture has reached an all-time high, and the stories of one person's ability to improve the lives of others has captured so many hearts, this unique book takes readers to the frontlines of a battle raging over control of the nation's poorest areas. "Culture Is Our Weapon" tells the story of Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, a Rio-based organization employing music and an appreciation for black culture to inspire residents of the favelas, or shantytowns, to resist the drugs that are ruining their neighborhoods. This is an inspiring look at an artistic explosion and the best and worst of Brazilian society.

Pedro Almodovar's tale of dance, bullfighters, love and comas. Benigno (Javier Cámara) is a housebound nurse who falls in love with a young dancer, Alicia (Leonor Watling), he sees rehearsing through his window. Marco (Darío Grandinetti) is a journalist who falls in love with a bullfighter, Lydia (Rosario Flores), after being assigned to interview her. When Alicia and Lydia are involved in separate accidents which send them both into a comas, Benigno and Marco meet at the hospital and unpredictable consequences promptly ensue.