Bacurau

A hard-hitting film experiment that satirizes Brazilian politics. With its civil war theme and desert landscapes filmed in widescreen format, it is also an unmistakably modern take on the western genre. Set in the near future, it depicts a series of events in Bacurau, a fictitious outpost village threatened by annihilation by evil forces that use road blocks, sabotage and brutal violence.

Right from the beginning, this is a distinctly Brazilian film. The visiting local mayor Tony Jr. leaves such a sleazy and corrupt appearance that it is hard not to associate with Brazil’s current right-wing government. Far more disturbing is the presence of a foreign paramilitary squad, operating out of a nearby farm. Trigger-happy and sadistic, they are dead set on wiping Bacurau of the map. But the villagers, led by physician Domingas and local gangster Pacote, are determined to fight back, using some truly magical tricks.

Bacurau is a nerve-wracking experience. It builds tension and anxiety through its intense and often long sequences, not unlike Quentin Tarantino films (without any glorification of violence, however). The film is also an acute warning of the consequences of authorities’ de-humanisation of its own inhabitants. It is really a coincidence that the final words uttered in this film are “this is only the beginning”?

Kleber Mendonça Filho (b. 1968) is a filmmaker from Recife, Brasil. Starting out as a film critic, he then made a number of short films before his international breakthrough with the feature film Neighboring Sounds in 2012. All his films have been selected for the Cannes film festival. Mendonça Filho is – also through his films – an outspoken critic of authoritarian tendencies and corruption in Brazil.

Juliano Dornelles is known for his work as a producer and production designer for Kleber Mendonça Filho's previous films, but he has also directed short films and a feature film in his own capacity.