The Other Side of the Street

More love story than thriller, with the mystery providing only slack tension and the December-December romance that ultimately develops between Regina and Camargo crackling with drama and sexual tension aplenty.

Montenegro's character has a spark in her eye, and a determination, that makes this quiet, intelligent film anything but boring.

It's a rare combination of romance and sly social commentary, delivered with a raw emotional punch.

An absorbing new spin on the ingenious "Rear Window" concept, with poignant comments on aging in modern society.

Montenegro's performance is typically multifaceted, displaying keen wit and a thick streak of self-doubt.

Ms. Montenegro's rough-hewn integrity is the one quality that ennobles The Other Side of the Street, an otherwise confused mixture of cat-and-mouse thriller and sentimental old folks' love story that is well below the level of "Central Station."

Co-writer and first-time director Marcos Bernstein (who also co-scripted the Montenegro-starring Central Station) drowns the film in anesthetizing atmospherics and hot Brazilian bodies, blunting the energy of his septuagenarian star's performance.