This film is based on the true life story of Francisco Camargo and his family's rise from rags to riches. He is a poor farmer in the rural Brazilian state of Goiás struggling to make a living with his wife Helena and raising their seven children.
Francisco dreams of a better life for his children and knows it will not be through farming on land he doesn't own. He loves music and the tabletop transistor radio is always on. He encourages his two eldest sons Mirosmar and Emival to take up music. Without money for formal training Francisco devises some uniquely rural ways of training his sons to sing. How many singers start the day at sunrise with a raw egg? The boys learn to play accordion and guitar, showing enough talent to play the county fair, and other local events, but they cannot advance further without help.
Knowing this, Francisco uproots the family from the farm to the capital city of Goiânia. It's a struggle at first for the whole family–living in a leaky, rundown, shack of a house. The boys turn to busking at the bus station which gives them their first break. They meet Miranda, a slick and outgoing man who becomes their first agent. He has connections but is less than scrupulous.
It's a hard road to success with setbacks at every step. But the family builds on their successes which is alluded to visually as their house subtly improves as the movie progresses. The boys are young men now but a big hit eludes them. It is Francisco's ingenious act of payola which finally ignites the first hit single, and propels them to fame and fortune.
The film ends with an appearance by the real life family that inspired this movie. Now known as Zezé di Camargo and Luciano, the brothers perform in a packed stadium in São Paulo. And we accompany them on a visit to the farm where it all started.
At its heart this is a family film about the strength and resiliency of a family. They survive hardship and tragedy, and share in happiness and success.
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