More proxy watching thanks to my son taking interesting film classes at college. He was fascinated enough by this film to get a copy, so I watched over a couple of nights (the film is a little long, so were the work days).
Charismatic leads - sisters toughened by the streets, the younger one is a fascinating entrepreneur - Chitara (I don't know the song from whence her name comes, nor enough about Brazilian political clashes from which this story erupts either). Her big sister is out of prison and in/out of the arms of her lover and other ladies.
Chitara's work is tapping into the natural oil reserves running in the dry neglected land where they live. Corporate controlled oil, with military might to reinforce it, she is a sort of folk-hero and lighting up the lives and torches of moto-boys who she draws like moths, and then has a fascinating sort of free-exchange/free-market with.
Other slices of life include a lengthy visit to an enthusiastic church, the camera swoons on in - music pumping there and on a sort of party bus as well. The moto-folks take to the streets with megaphones and a message to take political control over their district. There is another scene during a sort of carnival/convention - much of the film feels like raw capture of events.
I'm not sure how much the super-cop-vehicle added (maybe some drone stuff too in a sort of light sci-fi way). Shots inside the vehicle, and the faces of the cops on the frontline, trying to chant mantras to steel them up for their fight with the rebels.
Anyways, that part of the film is intriguing but less fleshed out than the two sisters. Great tight shots of the faces of the two women, and to me at least, interesting how much they sort of revere their Dad for his faults, and perhaps embrace some of those faults as well. Apparently each sister has a kid, but we rarely see them. So a cycle continues?
One odd thought, this film helps to underscore the cracks and grift in capitalism, it is a film well-outside the merchandised mainstream AND YET in this film we spend a lot of time watching women doing their work, (so often big budget films want to take us away from our daily grind and skip past the office to luxurious settings or mythical magical worlds).
Compared to auto-tuned synth driven sounds, the character of Chitara is like a guitar missing a string and maybe with a whole shot through its body - still a unique captivating sound, and portrayal.
Charismatic leads - sisters toughened by the streets, the younger one is a fascinating entrepreneur - Chitara (I don't know the song from whence her name comes, nor enough about Brazilian political clashes from which this story erupts either). Her big sister is out of prison and in/out of the arms of her lover and other ladies.
Chitara's work is tapping into the natural oil reserves running in the dry neglected land where they live. Corporate controlled oil, with military might to reinforce it, she is a sort of folk-hero and lighting up the lives and torches of moto-boys who she draws like moths, and then has a fascinating sort of free-exchange/free-market with.
Other slices of life include a lengthy visit to an enthusiastic church, the camera swoons on in - music pumping there and on a sort of party bus as well. The moto-folks take to the streets with megaphones and a message to take political control over their district. There is another scene during a sort of carnival/convention - much of the film feels like raw capture of events.
I'm not sure how much the super-cop-vehicle added (maybe some drone stuff too in a sort of light sci-fi way). Shots inside the vehicle, and the faces of the cops on the frontline, trying to chant mantras to steel them up for their fight with the rebels.
Anyways, that part of the film is intriguing but less fleshed out than the two sisters. Great tight shots of the faces of the two women, and to me at least, interesting how much they sort of revere their Dad for his faults, and perhaps embrace some of those faults as well. Apparently each sister has a kid, but we rarely see them. So a cycle continues?
One odd thought, this film helps to underscore the cracks and grift in capitalism, it is a film well-outside the merchandised mainstream AND YET in this film we spend a lot of time watching women doing their work, (so often big budget films want to take us away from our daily grind and skip past the office to luxurious settings or mythical magical worlds).
Compared to auto-tuned synth driven sounds, the character of Chitara is like a guitar missing a string and maybe with a whole shot through its body - still a unique captivating sound, and portrayal.
