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The Almost Adults

The Almost Adults is coming of age story, in which Sofia, a nine-year-old child, is mysteriously replaced by a twenty something version of herself. Her sister Charlotte and her friend Joaquim are going to help her survive in the adult world, where, flowered with clever worlds, strange laws such as the “leave-it-alone”, “do not look in each other’s eyes” and “do not speak your mind” exist.

  • Rafaella Buzzi
    Director
    First Time Director
  • Rafaella Buzzi
    Writer
  • André Novis
    Producer
    The invisible Life of Euridice Gusmão
  • Daniel Caldeira
    Producer
    Black Mirror, Sense 8, The Mechanism
  • Gregório Duvivier
    Key Cast
    "Almost Adult Critic"
  • Bella Camero
    Key Cast
    "Almost Adult Opinionated"
  • Carlos Seidl
    Key Cast
    "Narrator"
  • Luisa Mangini
    Key Cast
    "Charlotte"
  • Melissa Fernandes
    Key Cast
    "Sofia"
  • Giovanni Silas
    Key Cast
    "Joaquim"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Os Quase Adultos
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 19, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    41,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Rafaella Buzzi

Rafaella Buzzi is a Brazilian screenwriter and director. The witty and sensitive The Almost Adults is her debut fiction film. Rafaella directs mostly commercials and music videos and it’s represented by the production company Asteroide in São Paulo. Under the supervision of Mark Rosenthal (Mona Lisa’s Smile) she wrote her first feature film Large Land Crisis, yet to be produced. In her early career years, she worked as an assistant to the director Marcos Prado (executive producer of Elite Squad, the Brazilian film with the largest audience in the history of national cinema).

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Director Statement

The film is a metaphor for the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. It seeks to look at social constructions through a child's perspective that is pure, innocent and honest, aiming to put on a spotlight the things we learn (or unlearned..) in order to survive in the "adult world". One of the main themes is how we stiffen ourselves and start reproducing behaviors we do not believe in and end up losing the connection with our inner self. The concept of the “child inhabiting an adult body” represents an individual who managed to preserve his authentic self in this transition and sees the adult universe with a different perspective, by giving space to their inner voice and letting it speak louder than his ego's needs.

The main character is inspired by the director herself, as she navigated the transition to her adult life with unusual innocence and was often considered too naive. Being diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, she felt like a misfit growing up but maturity has shown her that not quite fitting in a dysfunctional society is more of a sign of healthy mind than a disorder. Greta Thunberg is a great example of how a fresh (and often seen as naive) gaze can shake core values of a negligent society - when the subject is climate change. What many consider "naivety" the director considers a powerful tool for social transformation.