My first film of Brazilian filmmaker Geraldo Sarno--his fourth and final feature film made at age 79. He died at age of 83, some 4 years later.
Sarno's film is refreshingly different. Shot in black-and-white with handheld cameras, which capture the humans and the flora of north-eastern Brazil, the economic disparity, the strong religious fervor of the people, and the civil insurrection. Thus far, the film could resemble the works of Brazilian directors Ruy Guerra (The Guns) and Nelson Pereira dos Santos (Vedas Secas a.k.a. Barren Lives) made decades earlier. It also reminds you of some early Cuban films.
Then how is it "refreshingly different"? Sarno's film uses near death scenarios to traverse into the future religious "purgatory" where the main character Antao Gaviao meets his dead mother, tries no meet his dead father and does meet other important people in his life, now dead. Here, it resembles Konchalovsky's award-winning film "Paradise."
Sarno's film breaks into the fifth dimension for the viewership midway in the film showing a film crew shooting the main actors in the film (as they appear in the very film the viewer is watching) complete with tripods, cameras and reflectors. Renowned directors Kiarostami and Almodovar have done this as a postscript in their films; Sarno chose to do it mid-script!
Finally, the film belongs equally to the original writer/director Sarno, cinematographers Tuna Mayer and Miguel Vassy and the talented music composer Lindenbergue Cardoso.
