Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra | Brazil | 2011 | 99’ | In Portuguese | English subtitles
A feature film debut by writer-directors Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, a small São Paulo family drama with lots of unexpected turns.
Housewife Helena is about to realize a long-cherished wish: opening her own grocery store. She employs Paula to look after her daughter and her house. Her husband Otávio loses his job and doesn’t succeed in finding new employment. Helena now not only has to manage her store and staff, but also faces the daunting task of being the sole supporter of her family. Meanwhile, strange things happen at the store. Gross, mouldy spots appear on the walls which can’t be removed, the TV picks up weird stations and products oddly go missing from the shop. The rot that inevitably takes over the store, also takes hold of Helena’s life...
Rojas and Dutra demonstrate how somebody can be taken over completely by their work. Or even: how work can define somebody. This unusual and fascinating film was nominated at the 2011 Cannes film festival in the Un Certain Regard competition.
Screenings:
FRI 10 AUG - 21:45 |
SU 12 AUG - 15:00 |
Director Juliana Rojas is present during all screenings and available for Q&A.
