Starring TikTok, “Um Broto Cool” introduces Celly Campello to the new generation

In the past, people danced at balls, then at clubs, and now they dance on social media. But whatever the medium, the message remains the same: everyone has heard “Estúpido Cupido” and “Banho de Lua”, some of the most famous songs by the singer from São Paulo. Celly Campello which broke out in the late 1950s with Brazilian interpretations of international rock music.

“Um Broto Legal” arrives this Thursday (16) in Brazilian cinemas and brings Marianna Alexandre like Celly and Murilo Armacollo as Tony Campello , the main supporter of her sister’s career. With good musical numbers and a light story, we follow the journey of the girl from Taubaté, who after fighting to get her space as “the girl of rock”, reached the national network with a program on Rede Record, in 1959.

The research work for the film was intense and is reflected in the smallest details, ranging from the costumes to the slang used by the characters. Director Luiz Alberto Pereira had a great ally in the production of the film: Tony himself.

“I researched and gathered many documents about Celly, magazines, films, but the real living archive was Tony Campello, who helped us with his incredible memory, pointing out several details that we had to follow”, says Pereira.

In addition to helping with the production, Tony found himself represented in the film through Murilo Armacollo. The singer helped the actor behave like a 1950s rock star.

“He gave me several tips on how to position my body, put my voice and make everything closer to what was natural for him”, says the actor. “Nobody better than Tony to stitch this story together so precisely.”

Despite the help, Armacollo already has experience with period films, which explains why he is so comfortable in the role of Tony Campello.

“I’ve worked with the 1950s and 60s in theater and in other productions, but ‘Um Broto Legal’ was really a fad”, he laughs.

Celly nowadays

The feature does not fit 100% into the musical genre, but many of the singer’s timeless hits are in the film and it is on this permanent popularity of the artist that the team bets on wanting to bring young audiences to the movies.

The nostalgia of those who listened to the singer will already attract the elderly, but the internet can give a little push in the promotion of the film for those who are younger.

Actress Marianna Alexandre, who plays Celly, has more than 6 million followers on TikTok and considers the apps an extension of her work.

“I wasn’t very active on social media,” she says. “We shot the movie in 2019 and it was during the pandemic that I started recording TikToks with some Celly performances and songs, including.”

@marianna_alexandre Reply @marianna_alexandre #pov PART2 You get a certain amount of winks |ib: @devincaherly #povs #drama #maripovs ♬ original sound – Bailey

Marianna has already danced a lot to the sound of Celly Campello that were heard by her parents, but she recognizes that not every young person knows how to sing the songs.

“I talk a lot with my fans to keep them on my networks and some of them say they don’t know Celly, Then I go and sing a snippet of her song on the networks.”

The film builds the viewer’s relationship with Celly very well. By following her every step, we root for her success, even if the story keeps one foot in reality. However, those who know more about the songs than the singer’s biography, are surprised by the end of the film that features Celly giving up her career, at the age of 20, to marry her boyfriend.

Actress Marianna is just a year older than Celly was when she retired, but the protagonist doesn’t see her career stopping anytime soon. She recognizes, however, that Celly’s quitting fits into a different context, at a different time.

“There are women from that time who made their careers and continued singing, which was not the case with Celly”, says Marianna. “Of course it was shocking to the audience, but she wanted to be a normal girl and she seemed pretty relaxed about her decision.”

In fact, the great enthusiast of the singer’s career was her brother, who convinced her to leave Taubaté and who suffered when Celly left the TV show they were doing together. After retirement, invitations to TV shows and other presentations poured in, but she only agreed to reappear in 1976, in the soap opera “Estúpido Cupido”, when she recorded an updated version of the homonymous song.

Celly died in 2003 of breast cancer. She got the normal life she wanted, at least partially, as fame never quite left her. Nearly 20 years after her death, rock music is still not over.