Francisco Ramalho Jr.
Directing
Biography
Francisco Ramalho Jr. was born in 1940 in Santa Cruz das Palmeiras, São Paulo, Brazil. He is a producer and writer, known for Besame Mucho (1987), À Flor da Pele (1977) and Canta Maria (2006).
Known For

The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies.
Kiss of the Spider Woman

Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, before the natives murdered them all. They are sent by the pompous Leslie Huben, who runs the missionary effort in the area but who seems more concerned about competing with his Catholic 'rivals' than in the Indians themselves. Hazel is terrified of the Indians while Martin is fascinated. Soon American pilot Lewis Moon joins the Indian tribe but is attracted by Leslie's young wife, Andy. Can the interaction of these characters and cultures, and the advancing bulldozers of civilization, avoid disaster?
At Play in the Fields of the Lord

The tomboyish, outgoing Julieta is the daughter of a member of the Palmeiras soccer club board. She is constantly frustrated by what she sees as institutional bias against women in soccer. One day while watching her beloved Palmeiras, she is struck by a handsome man, Romeu, that she sees rooting for the Palmeiras' chief rivals, the Corinthians. After meeting the same man again in the middle of eye exam, Julieta and Romeu quickly become a couple. However, in order to avoid incurring the wrath of her parents, Romeu is forced to pretend to be an adoring Palmeiras fan, an increasingly difficult task for the die-hard Corinthiano.
Romeo and Juliet Get Married
Cristina still lives with her mother and wants to find her true love. She looks for help in a matrimonial agency, that arranges a meeting between her and Paulo. She likes the guy, but Paulo doesn't seem too enthusiastic. As time goes by, Chico, the owner of the agency, feels he is becoming too fond of Cristina...
Cristina Wants to Get Married

On set, in the middle of the Atlantic Forest, a stressed film director begins another day of filming, reproducing the celebration of the first mass in Brazil. Suddenly three strange agents emerge from the forest and abruptly interrupt the scene. Authoritarians, they confiscate the filmed negatives. The paranoid director grumbles: "Are they from the government?". The execution of the film is compromised. Will the director in trouble be able to complete his film?
A Primeira Missa ou Tristes Tropeços, Enganos e Urucum

An aspiring model leaves her wealthy middle-aged lover for a handsome young writer. But as her career takes off, their relationship gets worse.
Anuska, Manequim e Mulher

Shortly after World War II, the city of Rio de Janeiro experiments a period of great cultural, political and economic effervescence, when all the dreams – or nearly all – seem possible. In this exciting scenery of transformation, Paulo discovers love, friendship and sex through his childhood and adolescence in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Extreme Happiness

This adaptation of a classic Brazilian novel focuses on the relations of charismatic characters within a tenement.
O Cortiço

Living with his parents, 17-year-old Juan hangs out with several intellectuals who would like to photograph the human soul. The girlfriend of the group's financier is Ana, and Juan is attracted to her, despite the knowledge that she spent two years at a clinic because she was "crazy." Juan sees Ana when he can and trains as a door-to-door salesman, but when the German photographer on the soul project gives him a viewfinder, it changes his life, putting him on the path to his later success as a Hollywood director.
Foolish Heart

This heartfelt comedy about 2 reunited 1/2 brothers. Handsome but underemployed actor Júlio finds himself in need of a job & place to stay. Neurotic & lonely Beto is a successful soap opera writer who hasn't left his house in 8 years. When Júlio winds up on Beto's doorstep, they find themselves capable of reigniting old resentments, but also with the possibility to fulfill the other's dreams.
The Heartthrob
Drama teacher and writer of soap operas keeps his frustrating marriage because he doesn't have the existencial courage to get divorced. But he meets a temperamental and rich student, with whom he engages in a neurotic relationship.
Touchy

The story of two couples - Xico and Olga, Tuca and Dina - through 20 years of friendship, from adolescent dreams to maturity frustrations. They meet in a small town in the State of São Paulo, but one of the couples decides to try their luck in the big city. As background, the political events in the 60's and 70's, and how they affect their lives.
Besame Mucho

A curious story: it rains whenever a couple of lovers meet. Against the weather forecast, it rains all over the city. And as the love grows, the stronger becomes the rain. Found by a television crew, they receive the title of "Rain Lovers", and their dates become public spectacles.
Rain Lovers

During a weekend in a country house, young people eager for strong emotions end up switching partners and experimenting drugs.
Sons and Lovers

Based on the life of Roberto Carlos Ramos, a Brazilian teacher and storyteller brought up in a state educational institution for poor children.
The Story of Me

No description available.
Paula: A História de uma Subversiva

No description available.
Sabendo Usar Não Vai Faltar

Amid the civil-military dictatorship implanted with the 1964 coup, Sergio Muniz had the idea of making a documentary about the action of the Death Squad. At the time, the press still had some freedom to disseminate the work of these death squads formed by police officers of various ranks, and that he acted on the outskirts of cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The victims of police repression (as today) were men, poor and black, and this condition is supposed criminals.
Você Também Pode Dar um Presunto Legal
The film, set between 1855 and 1860, tells the story of Maria. She is sold by her stepfather to marry Alfredo, son of Manuel, a bankrupt farmer who wants to have an heir. The girl is then confined to the farm, being watched at all times. Until she comes up with a plan in search of freedom.
A Prisioneira

The practices of football in Brazil and the issues surrounding the sport. Press, players as a commodity, the popular passion, the practice on the fields of várzea. The statements of Luiz Carlos de Freitas, a young promise of Palmeiras, and Feola's coach, as well as an interview with Pelé.