Stela Freitas

A young boy's (Oliveira) mother is killed in front of Rio de Janeiro's Central Station. Homeless and with nowhere to turn, he is reluctantly befriended by a lonely and cynical woman (Montenegro). Resisting her initial impulse to make a quick profit off the child, she commits to returning him to his father in Brazil's remote Northeast. The trip becomes a quest for their own identities: one boy's search for his father, and one woman's search for her heart. (Sony Pictures Classics)

In order to leave her past and family values behind, woman has relationships with many men and, among many doubts, tries to find out her own identity and happiness. (imdb)

Based on a famous autobiography, this film tells of teenage angst, as lived in the miserable lower middle class Rio bedroom suburbs, by 15 year-old Eliane. To boot, she comes from a dysfunctional family. Her mother is particularly neurotic and bitter, at odds with virtually everything her daughter does. The film strives to be a realistic and sensitive portrayal of human relationships in one of Brazil's poorest urban landscapes. (imdb)

Ulisses has failed in his professional life, but leads a happy life with his wife Ângela and their two daughters. Until the day he is introduced to Bárbara, a very beautiful woman living in Rio de Janeiro. Ângela becomes her friend and gives her the dress Ulisses had given her. From then on, marital problems arise, and he becomes increasingly attracted to Bárbara. (imdb)

Fausta is a survivor who dreams of building a house on land she's buying on the installment plan. Meanwhile she lives in a one-room tin-roofed hovel with her idle husband, João, and she works as a maid. The elderly but randy Zé, who carries advertising signs at the train station, buys her perfume and invites her to spend Sundays with him. She accepts. After João injures his foot, stops work, drinks more, and wallows in self pity, Fausta sees Zé as her way out, if he'll help her buy the land (imdb)

The main actor believes that true success is the attaining WHAT money can't buy and encourages people to follow their dreams. He forms a huge following which becomes cult like following. Officials start feeling threatened and conspire to kill him. (imdb)