Experiencing Interruptions?

The Ball - EN Subtitles

In the film “The Ball”, we follow the life of Deco, a man with an intellectual disability who lives with his elderly mother, Dona Cleide, in a small town in the Brazilian countryside. Deco finds joy in his passion for Corinthians and the fictional player Zezeto. Living across from a local football field, Deco dreams of playing, but his mother, fearing for his safety, forbids it. He spends his days solving crossword puzzles and listening to the matches from across the street. The story follows Deco’s daily routine, his interactions with neighbors, the regulars at the football field, and his mother. Deco dreams of one day attending a Corinthians match at the stadium. With a sensitive lens, the film explores how a love for football and the small gestures of everyday life bring meaning and happiness to Deco.

ENGLISH SUBTITLES

The film features the soundtrack and musical production of the original song created by Douglas Lora, three-time Grammy nominee.

  • Filipe Rafaeli
    Director
  • Filipe Rafaeli
    Writer
  • Luisa Petrucci
    Producer
  • Aldo Simões
    Key Cast
    "Deco"
  • Isis Gonçalves
    Key Cast
    "Dona Cleide"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    A Bola
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 BRL
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Blackmagic Cinema Camera
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Filipe Rafaeli

Brazilian, 47 years old, filmmaker.

2025 – Completed “The Ball”.
2024 – Winner of the Apollo Trophy for Best Fiction Film at the Militum Festival, held in Rio de Janeiro, with the film “The Looping”, completed in 2013 (25 minutes).
2018 – Second place at the Brazilian Nanofilm Festival with the film “Golpe do Estado Mínimo” (Coup of the Minimal State). Nanofilm. Later selected for screening at the Contis Festival in France and Porto7 – International Short Film Festival in Porto, Portugal.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"It's a story that could have been filmed almost anywhere in the world. A special football fan who lives with his mother, the only family he has, in front of a small field. He could be a character in Spain, a fanatic for Barcelona, for instance, or in England, a Liverpool supporter. It could take place in France, Argentina, Chile, the USA, Germany, Portugal, Uruguay, or Japan. But it's set in Brazil, the country with the most football titles in the world and, in my opinion, the richest music on the planet. All crowned with a soundtrack of chorinho and samba," said Filipe Rafaeli, the director and screenwriter of “The Ball.”

"This combination makes the film authentically Brazilian. It's not an aesthetic copy of any foreign cinematic movement," he added.