Shining in Chicago

Brazil has participated in the latest Latino Film Festival in big style.

Sam and Harriet Robbins

Buccaneer Soul (1994) directed by Carlos Reichenbach was one of the stars of the 11th Chicago Latino Film Festival which happened from March 24 to April 3. The film tells the story of Rivaldo Torres, an intellectual from São Paulo and Teodoro Xavier, a man from a wealthy family. They are friends and co-authors of a book of poems. Using both the neorealist and surrealist style the film covers their unique relationship and relates their story of friendship which began in 1957 and continued through the chaotic 1960's to the present all the while revealing a fascinating look at Brazilian life through literature, films and music. Buccaneer Soul shows that the spirit of Brazil's "Cinema Novo" is alive and well.

Suzana Moraes's A Thousand and One (1994) also was a hit. In her first feature film Ms. Moraes brings a story about love, cinema, and a tribute to French surrealist painter, Marcel Duchamp. Alicia, her heroine, is a young filmmaker in search of her own identity who is making a film about the life of Duchamp. While working together, a love affair develops; their lives entangle between the fiction of the film and the reality of their lives and inevitably changes take place in their relationship. Alicia is symbolic of a generation of Brazilian women as she discovers her own power, in the social, economic and sexual areas.

The Chicago festival presented other choice selections of feature films, shorts and videos from Brazil, including three films directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos from his traveling retrospective: Vidas Secas/Barren Lives (1963), Rio, 40 Degrees (1955), and Memories of Prison (1984). They were a fine representation of this master director's work for both new and old audiences to see. The short film program included some other outstanding Brazilian films such as Oppression (1993, 18 min.) which was directed by Mirella Martinelli who invites us to spend one day in the life of a young overworked and poor Brazilian woman.

Other treats from the festival:

Behind Bars (1993, 10 min.). Directed by Paolo Gregori, a billionaire crook is imprisoned in São Paulo, possibly a former President of Brazil. When released, he returns to take refuge behind the bars of his mansion.

Final Night Minus Five Minutes (1993). Directed by Debora Waldman. Tells the story of a woman on the verge of suicide, a check list of despair.

The Stage (1992, 7 min.). Directed by Christian Louis Saghaard. A young woman searches for a ceremonial act in a world of rituals.

Jo (1993, 7 min.). Experimental film directed by Beto Brant and Ralph Strelow which bring God and the Devil into Jo's life on a deserted beach.

Then there were videos;

Taking Aim (1993, 41 min.). Directed by Monica Frota. It chronicles the struggle of the Kayapó nation in the Brazilian rain forest for political power and cultural representation.

Pictures in Black and White (1992, 15 min.). Directed by Joel Zito Araújo who sends a video letter from an Afro-Brazilian man exposing racism within Brazilian society.

Speaking Alone (1994, 9 min.). Directed by Mauro Giuntini tells the tale of love and loss in the 90s in a poetic reading.

Passion and War in the Backlands of Canudos (1993, 52 min.). Directed by Antonio Olavo. A documentary account of the guerrilla warfare in Canudos, in the rugged Northeast of Brazil. In 1883, a group of poor people followed Catholic leader Antonio Conselheiro and founded the town of Canudos. A socialist development that grew into a town of 25,000 inhabitants. In 1897 a military campaign started by Brazil's upper class destroyed the town and murdered those who lived there. Antonio Conselheiro has become a symbol for radical change for the poor of Northeastern Brazil.

The Bispo do Rosario (1993, 46 min.). Directed by Miguel Przewodowski & Helena Martinho da Rocha is a docudrama that reconstructs the life of Brazilian artist Bispo do Rosario. A man who was confined to a psychiatric hospital for 50 years until his death. He is now considered one of Brazil's most important visual artists.