My Sweet Orange Tree (film)

My Sweet Orange Tree (Portuguese: Meu Pé de Laranja Lima) is a 2012 Brazilian drama film directed by Marcos Bernstein, based on the 1968 novel of the same name by José Mauro de Vasconcelos, marking the second feature-length adaptation of the novel. Starring João Guilherme Ávila and José de Abreu, the film follows the story of Zezé, a very imaginative but misunderstood boy.

The idea of adapting the novel started in 2004, when at the request of the film's producer, Katia Machado, Marcos Bernstein and Melanie Dimantas wrote a screenplay. Later, Bernstein offered to direct the film, which was for a while a French-Brazilian production until it finished as an exclusively Brazilian film.

After filming between 2010 and 2011 in Minas Gerais, My Sweet Orange Tree premiered at the Festival do Rio on 29 September 2012. The film was released theatrically in Brazil on 19 April 2013 and received mixed reviews from critics, who highlighted Ávila's performance and Gustavo Hadba's photography.