The Other Side of the Street

Best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in Central Station, the great Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro here plays Regina, a lonely elderly woman who fills up the emptiness in her life by working as an unpaid informer for the local police. Usually her tips are worthwhile and result in minor arrests, but one evening Regina witnesses an unusual crime through her binoculars: a man in an apartment across the street giving his wife a fatal injection. Because the killer is a retired judge, the investigation creates a major backlash within police headquarters and Regina is dropped from the ranks of informants. Determined to prove the judge's guilt, she launches her own covert inquiry into the man and his actions, but much to her surprise, Regina's feelings for the judge swing from investigative to romantic. Montenegro's character is an unlikely detective, and her obsession with the judge is so blatant that she becomes a figure of pity rather than respect, yet the actress (with her brilliantly expressive face and always-proper body language) is a joy to behold even when The Other Side of the Street becomes distractingly silly. Playing like Rear Window meets Murder, She Wrote, this film stands out for Montenegro's diverting lead performance, but is ultimately not worthy of this particular star. Optional. (P. Hall)