As published on CLAUDIA

Chorão sang about love, abandonment, desire, inadequacy, and romantic relationships like few artists of his generation. Perhaps that is why it is impossible to completely separate the explosive, rebellious public figure from the vulnerable and contradictory man behind him. It is precisely within that space that Paloma emerges, the character played by Carine Pagliarini in the biopic Chorão: Só os Loucos Sabem.

Paloma did not exist in the real life of the Charlie Brown Jr. frontman. And that distinction matters. In a biopic surrounded by real people—and by memories that remain emotionally vivid for Brazilian audiences—she was created as a narrative device through which the film could explore emotional aspects of the singer’s life without presenting her as a historical figure.

“She enters Chorão’s life at a moment of vulnerability. Even though she is a fictional character, she is not there to change the story, but to help tell an important chapter of it,” Carine explains to CLAUDIA. “She ultimately reflects conflicts, doubts and choices that are part of everyone’s life.”

The actress sees Paloma primarily as a way of revealing the man who existed beyond the public persona. “No one is made up only of successes or mistakes. We are all shaped by emotions, doubts and decisions that often transform us as well. Paloma becomes part of this more intimate side of the story.”

A Fictional Woman Surrounded by Real Women

There is an additional delicacy to this construction because Chorão’s story was also profoundly shaped by the women who stood beside him, especially Graziela Gonçalves, his partner for decades and one of the people most responsible for preserving his legacy.

Paloma, therefore, could not simply occupy a place that had belonged to someone in real life. For Carine, the challenge was to make her feel authentic within that universe without erasing the boundary between fiction and reality.

“The intention was never to make audiences believe that she really existed, but to ensure that her presence made sense within the narrative,” she says. “She is there to help tell part of Chorão’s life, while always respecting the essence of the story and the people who were genuinely part of it.”

There is also something particularly interesting about observing a man so closely associated with rebellion, rock music and a certain image of masculinity through the relationships he formed with women.

“Paloma is part of this more intimate perspective because she helps reveal that behind that intense figure was also someone vulnerable, contradictory and driven by his own emotions,” Carine says. “I find it interesting that the film presents different female perspectives on him. Each relationship reveals a different part of the man who existed behind the artist.”

It is an approach that speaks directly to Chorão’s own music. Beneath the aggression, irreverence and persona he created onstage, his lyrics repeatedly returned to the need to love and be loved, to loss, jealousy, loneliness and the difficulty of dealing with his own emotions.

For Carine, Paloma helps the film enter precisely that territory. “She is part of a period when certain choices ultimately have consequences. I think one of the film’s strengths is showing that, however intense someone may be, they still have to confront what they feel, the choices they make and the consequences of those choices.”

When José Loreto Became Chorão

On the other side of those scenes was José Loreto, facing a particularly unforgiving task for any actor: portraying someone whose voice, gestures, energy and personality remain vivid in the memories of millions of people.

Carine says his transformation went far beyond his physical appearance.

“José immersed himself deeply in the character, and that was evident on set. There were many moments when it was easy to forget that I was acting opposite him and see Chorão standing there instead,” she recalls.

For her, his commitment also directly influenced her own performance. “When the other actor has completely surrendered to the character, everything happens more naturally. I think that contributed enormously to the authenticity of those scenes.”

From the Stage to the Intimacy of the Camera

Paloma also represents an important turning point in Carine’s own career. After years of working in theater, the actress makes her commercial feature-film debut and discovers in front of the camera a language that demands almost the opposite of the projection required onstage.

“Today, I trust my process much more,” she says. “Theater gave me an incredibly solid foundation, but film made me even more aware of the power of subtlety. On camera, a look, a pause, or even a silence can say a great deal.”

She does not, however, see the two experiences as opposites. “Ultimately, theater is what brought me here and gave me the tools to portray Paloma in a very truthful way.”

Before reaching commercial theaters, Chorão: Só os Loucos Sabem is being presented at the Gramado Film Festival, a coincidence with special emotional significance for Carine. Her family lives near the city, and she remembers passing the festival venue and imagining what it would be like to stand there one day, presenting her own work.

“Having my first commercially released feature film reach theaters would already be a major milestone. Experiencing it at the Gramado Film Festival makes it even more meaningful to me,” she says. “I passed that venue many times, imagining what it would be like to be there one day promoting a project of my own.” Now she will be.

And perhaps it is particularly fitting to begin with a film about an artist whose work always had so much to say about dreams, affection, mistakes and the difficulty of finding one’s place in the world.

“My hope is that audiences will connect with the story in the same way we did while making the film,” Carine says. “It is a very profound story about love, relationships and choices, but also about someone who left an indelible mark on Brazilian music.”

Paloma may never have existed. The emotions she helps reveal, however, are very real.