From Beginning to End

From Beginning to End () is a 2009 Brazilian romantic drama film directed by Aluizio Abranches, starring Fábio Assunção, Júlia Lemmertz, Gabriel Kaufmann, Lucas Cotrim, João Gabriel Vasconcellos and Rafael Cardoso. It premiered in Brazil on November 27, 2009. The film deals with homosexuality and incest, two types of relationships that are often considered to be taboo. Abranches claims that his only intention was to tell a love story.
The release of the film in Brazil, with only nine copies, was seen by almost 100,000 spectators, leading the film to be on the list of the top 10 most watched Brazilian films of 2009. It was shown in more than 30 national and international festivals, and it was also commercialized in more than 30 countries. In 2010 it was released in DVD in Brazil with success. In France, after a very successful premiere in the cinemas, the first edition of the DVD and Blu-ray was sold out in less than two weeks, and it became a best seller internationally through websites such as "Fnac" and "Amazon".
Production.
Filming.
The film was filmed almost entirely in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with parts filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Music.
The soundtrack was released in December 2009 and includes music by Brazilian artists such as Maria Bethânia, Angela Ro Ro, Simone and Zizi Possi.
Release.
The film attracted more than 10,000 viewers during its weekend debut. Playing in only nine theatres, the film finished sixth place during its opening weekend.
The film was shown on May 26, 2010, at the Seattle International Film Festival, on June 26 at the Frameline Film Festival, on July 9 at the Outfest Film Festival, and on July 15 at the QFest.
Marketing.
The director put the film's trailer on YouTube, generating more than 400,000 views and comments which ranged from outrage to enthusiasm.
Reception.
Box office performance.
"From Beginning to End" grossed $62,081 in nine theatres its opening weekend, $365,094 in second weekend, the film finished sixth place during its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $386,049 in Brazil and $14,373 in Taiwan, for a foreign total of $400,422.
Critical reception.
The film received mixed reviews, some praising it for retaining a good plot while transcending boundaries and others condemning it as an ordinary plot using the subject matter to gain attention.