Reaching for the Moon
This sumptuous English-language ‘50s period piece recounts the mid-life years of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Elizabeth Bishop (played by Miranda Otto, Lord of the Rings) when she left America to live and write in Rio de Janiero — where she would also fall in love with well-off architect Lota de Macedo Soares (butched up to the hilt by beautifully handsome Brazilian TV star Gloria Pires). Initial hostilities between the pair make way for a complicated yet long-lasting love affair that dramatically alters Bishop’s relationship to the world around her.
From renowned Brazilian director Bruno Barreto (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands), Reaching for the Moon is an intimate snapshot of the search for inspiration, wherever and however you find it.
Awards & Press Quotes
“An absorbing, insightful psychological drama . . . one of the year’s best movies about the love that now does dare speak its name.” – People’s World
“Pires conveys a charismatic, energetic masculine eroticism … Otto effortlessly channels a Susan Hayward-ish type of steeliness and vulnerability.” — LA Times
“One of the biggest lesbian films of the year.” — Queerty.com [Movies You Shouldn’t Miss]
“Imagines Elizabeth Bishop’s extraordinary relationship with the Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares… a battle of creative and romantic egos.” — New York Times
“The film benefits from a pair of nicely nuanced performances and the simmering intensity it unearths in detailing the lives of these two women.” – TimeOut NY
“An exotic love story becomes an empowering portrait of two highly gifted women who defy social convention.” – Film Journal International
“The sophistication of the film is obvious at every turn. Multi-layered in metaphor and twining plot, in the use of landscape and color, in the truly enjoyable and authentic portrayal of the lovers in their sensuality and creative work, “Reaching for the Moon” stands proud in itself, yet also incidentally provides a welcome window into a period in history of two geniuses who deserve to be better known.” – North Adams Transcript
“Glossy and gorgeous throughout . . . features two terrific performances from its leading ladies” – Trust Movies
WINNER!
Audience Award, Best Foreign Film: Memphis Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Best Feature Narrative: 2014 Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival Ontario
Audience Award for Best Feature: Frameline
Audience Award for Best Feature: Outfest
Audience Award for Best Feature Film: Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival
Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature: Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
Audience Award for Favorite Narrative: Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Feature: Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Women’s Feature: Atlanta Out On Film
Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature: Atlanta Out On Film
Audience Award for Best Feature: Tampa Int’l Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Best Feature: Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Best Women’s Feature Film: Pittsburgh Gay & Lesbian Film Fest
Best Feature! Long Beach Q Festival
Best Director, Bruno Barretto, Long Beach Q Festival
Audience Award: Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
