"Between Bees" gives visibility to the invisible aspects of life.

The speed at which the world evolves and the feeling that the future is already the past, coupled with a sense of postmodernity, distance man from himself and from the people around him.

The plot of "Entre Abelhas" (Between Bees), starring Fábio Porchat, discusses people's isolation, depression, feelings of emptiness, and the lack of meaning in life. It tells the story of Bruno (Porchat), a young video editor at a production company, who, after separating from his wife Regina (Giovanna Lancellotti) and struggling to understand the life he has built, begins to disconnect from the world, to the point that people gradually disappear from his mind. Bruno stops seeing people on the streets, at work, and also in photographs and on social media. The world begins to dissolve.

This search for meaning, in a world that no longer provides it, is reinforced by a script based on a nonsensical plot, where the improbable seems to become real. This situation is reminiscent of magical realism, such as the "insomnia disease" described in Gabriel García Márquez's book "One Hundred Years of Solitude," where forgetfulness affects the city's inhabitants to the point that they create an imaginary reality.

In this spiral of dematerialization, the more the young man tries to maintain contact with reality, the more he emerges into the emptiness of himself and delves deeper into the absences of the world. The confrontation between his life and his reality, now bordering on the imaginary, creates a new hollow universe, in which the character becomes increasingly self-absorbed.

Distant from himself and unable to find answers, Bruno often attributes the invisible to inanimate objects or superficial events. The blame seems to lie with things or with others, which shows the conflicts men have in understanding and facing their problems.

Bruno desperately tries to escape this imaginary—yet simultaneously real—reality with the help of an overprotective mother, masterfully portrayed by Irene Ravache. In her brief appearances, Ravache completely dominates the scene, eliciting laughter from the absurd situations she faces as her son fails to see people. The great actress provides a counterpoint between the reality and the surreal aspects of life, the simple, repetitive, and petty daily routine, and the internal conflicts of human beings.

Another counterpoint to the character Bruno is his relationship with his work friend Davi (Marcos Veras), who is immersed in a futile, conflict-ridden, selfish, and egocentric life, caring little about the people he interacts with and the consequences. For Davi, living is about having no conscience, only the pursuit of pleasure, even if it causes suffering to others. Davi is the epitome of an increasingly alienated and lonely society.

The title "Among Bees" refers to the news that many species are disappearing from the earth and how bees organize themselves socially. It would be a great mistake to classify it simply as a comedy, since it makes us think about the meaning of life, but through language that moves between laughter and drama, which goes beyond simple analysis, even more so for artists with strong roots in humor. If a label is appropriate, reluctantly, we could say that it is an existentialist comedy.

From the individual to the collective level, the film also discusses the millions of "invisible" people who form the structures of society, the millions of anonymous individuals, all the people who pass through our lives without us noticing, or even those who were once part of a cycle of life but have become invisible as time has passed.

In "Entre Abelhas" (Between Bees), Fábio Porchat demonstrates versatility, making it clear that he is more than just the universe of the well-known "Porta dos Fundos" comedy group.

"Between Bees," scheduled to premiere on April 30th in over 300 theaters across Brazil, demonstrates that it's possible to address complex themes with humor, that it's possible to laugh without losing the power of questioning. Laughter, after all, often comes from calamity.

INFORMATION
Title: Among Bees
Country of origin: Brazil
Premiere: April 30, 2015
Directed by: Ian SBF
Production: Eliane Ferreira, Hugo Janeba and João Daniel Tikhomiroff, Michel Daniel Tikhomiroff
Screenplay: Ian SBF and Fábio Porchat
Cast: Fábio Porchat, Irene Ravache, Marcos Veras, Giovanna Lancellotti, Leticia Lima, Luis Lobianco, Marcelo Valle