Hour of the Star

A nineteen-year-old orphan moves to Rio de Janeiro after her aunt who raised her dies. She takes a job as a typist for less than minimum wage and shares a room with three other women, all while she remains unaware of how poor she is. She is polite, quick to apologize, and begins to adapt to urban life.

She types one key at a time, makes numerous mistakes, and is oblivious to the errors she prints. Her work is imperfect, and she remains unaware of the flaws in her pages as she goes about her day. Her lack of social awareness colors her whole routine.

She urinates into a bowl under her bed rather than using the bathroom, and she wipes her nose with her sleeve. She remains unaware of social norms and etiquette, yet she is astonishingly polite and quick to apologize. These odd habits highlight how out of step she is with city life.

Macabea finds joy in tiny moments, listening to the radio and copying the vibes she hears from others. She experiences Sunday subway rides with simple pleasure, and a song on the radio can move her to tears. Her world is shaped by radios, songs, and the little things she can imitate.

She pastes magazine photos on the walls and looks to others for cues about how to behave. Her knowledge comes almost entirely from the radio, and she longs to be like everyone else. The urban world becomes a collage of borrowed signs and guided imitations.

She meets Olimpico, an insecure steelworker from Paraiba who dreams of becoming rich and in politics. He brags about a future of wealth and proudly shows off a gold tooth, insisting that one day he will physically display his success. His swagger masks his ignorance and insecurity.

They begin dating by sitting on a park bench, with Olimpico bragging about his bright future. He grows irritated by Macabea’s naivety and defensiveness, while she keeps repeating lines she’s heard on the radio. The relationship hints at a marriage plan built on her innocence rather than love.

On their first date he offers to buy coffee but makes her pay for the milk. When she attempts to sing a song she enjoys, he knocks her to the ground. She pleads for him to call her at work, but he never does, exposing the emptiness behind his promises.

Macabea’s coworker Gloria dispenses hard-won (and manipulative) dating advice, dating a different man each week and even going to a macumbeira. Gloria ultimately begins an affair with Olimpico, who eventually discards Macabea as a nuisance, calling her a 'hair in his soup.'

Gloria meets the man of her dreams and leaves Olimpico behind. Olimpico waits outside Macabea’s house with a giant stuffed animal intended for Gloria, revealing his lingering attachment and vanity.

Macabea visits Madame Carlota, who reads her past with striking accuracy and straight away prophesies a future romance. The fortune teller foresees that Macabea will marry a rich foreigner in a Mercedes who will bring her money. The prediction turns her imagination toward a life of wealth she has never imagined.

Excited by the prospect of wealth, Macabea buys a new dress and runs into the street without looking. The moment marks a turning from naive daydreams to a fatal realism, as chance and desire collide. The city seems to offer a dangerous lure toward her imagined fortune.

Macabea is struck by a car driven by a wealthy foreigner in a Mercedes. As she lies bleeding, she imagines the driver running toward her with open arms, offering the comfort and wealth she has long pursued. The movie closes on a note of fatal romance between fantasy and reality.