Filmmaker Tata Amaral named her musical drama Antônia in honor of her storytelling great-grandfather, but it makes me think of the two Antonias I already admire and adore: Willa Cather's My Ántonia and the matriarch of Dutch film Antonia's Line. If the four women at the center of the new Brazilian film possess the same strength as their real and fictional forebears, they'll do more than just survive — but survival comes first, and their fight for it is the subject of Antônia. The film is currently playing in New York, Newark and Los Angeles, with dates planned in additional cities soon.

As if positive name associations and a movie poster describing women on stage as glorious warriors aren't enough, the film is earning generally excellent reviews for its realistic depiction of the musical and personal challenges faced by São Paulo residents and aspiring rap artists Preta, Lena, Barbarah and Mayah (Negra Li, Cindy, Leilah Moreno and Quelynah respectively). All four stars are actual rap, hip-hop and pop musicians rather than professional actors; they wrote some of the music in the film and still perform together. It's no wonder they're each so natural with a mic. … continue reading