''Reaching for the Moon'' (, "Rare Flowers") is a 2013 Brazilian

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

, written by Julie Sayres and Matthew Chapman, directed by

Bruno Barreto Bruno Villela Barreto Borges (born 16 March 1955) is a Brazilian film director. Biography Born in Rio de Janeiro, Barreto has been making feature-length films ever since he was 17 years old and remains one of Brazil's most accomplished and pop ...

. The film is based on the book ''Flores Raras e Banalíssimas'' (in English, ''Rare and Commonplace Flowers''), by Carmem L. Oliveira. The film dramatizes the love story of the American poet

Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) was an American poet and short-story writer. She was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956, the National Book Awar ...

and the Brazilian architect

Lota de Macedo Soares Maria Carlota "Lota" Costallat de Macedo Soares (16 March 1910 – 25 September 1967) was a Brazilian landscape designer and architect. Despite not having a degree in either area, she was invited by governor Carlos Lacerda to design and oversee ...

. Set largely in

Petrópolis Petrópolis (), also known as the Imperial City, is a municipality in the Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2022 Brazilian census, Petrópolis mun ...

between the years 1951 and 1967, the film tells the story of Bishop's passionate and often tumultuous life with Soares in Brazil.

Cast

Glória Pires Glória Maria Cláudia Pires de Morais (; ; born 23 August 1963) is a Brazilian actress. She is best known for her roles in TV Globo telenovelas such as '' Dancin' Days'', ''Vale Tudo'', '' Mulheres de Areia'' and '' O Rei do Gado''. She is als ...

Miranda Otto Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry Otto, Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a ...

Tracy Middendorf Tracy Lynn Middendorf is an American television, movie, and stage actress. Middendorf's most notable roles were in the horror film ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'', the MTV series '' Scream'', and the HBO series ''Boardwalk Empire''. She also appear ...

as Mary Morse *

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams Jr. (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2025) was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe ...

Robert Lowell Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV (; March 1, 1917 – September 12, 1977) was an American poet. He was born into a Boston Brahmin family that could trace its origins back to the ''Mayflower''. His family, past and present, were important subjects ...

*Marcello Airoldi as

Carlos Lacerda Carlos Frederico Werneck de Lacerda (30 April 1914 – 21 May 1977) was a Brazilian journalist and politician. Biography Born in Rio de Janeiro, Lacerda was the son of a family of politicians from Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro state. He was the s ...

* Lola Kirke as Margaret *

Luciana Souza Luciana Souza (born 12 July 1966) is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer who also works in bossa nova, pop, classical and chamber music. She won a Grammy Award in 2007, and has been nominated for seven others, most recently in 2024. Souza is con ...

as Joana *Tânia Costa as Dindinha *Marianna Mac Nieven as Malu

Release

''Reaching for the Moon'' had its world premiere at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

, before screening at

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

and opening the 2014 Mardi Gras Film Festival. Following the sold-out screenings at Mardi Gras Film Festival, distributor Leap Frog Films announced it was planning a limited release across Australia in 2014.

International distribution

The International distribution rights are being licensed by Cinema Management Group.

References

External links

* * {{Inside Out Audience Award, Feature 2013 films 2013 biographical drama films 2013 LGBTQ-related films Biographical films about writers Brazilian biographical drama films Brazilian LGBTQ-related films Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos Films about architects Films about architecture Films based on biographies Films based on Brazilian novels Films directed by Bruno Barreto Films set in the 1950s Films set in the 1960s Films set in Brazil Films set in Rio de Janeiro (city) Films shot in Rio de Janeiro (city) Lesbian-related films 2013 drama films LGBTQ-related films based on actual events 2010s Brazilian films Portuguese-language American films Portuguese-language biographical drama films Portuguese-language biographical films