Feminist gangsters, Brazilian style. Incredible work of survival and resilience. These are some compliments that you will find looking for reviews of the film/documentary “Mato Seco em Chamas”. Already in the headers of the articles you will see names like The New York Times and The Guardian.
The feature film – directed by Adirley Queirós (Era Uma Vez Brasília) and Joana Pimenta, released in 2023 – mixes documentary with narrative (and elements) of fiction. This soup has won not only awards – Athens Avant-Garde and Doku Fest, for example – but also foreign critics.
New Brazilian film “underground”
Fresh out of prison, Léa (Léa Alves Silva) returns home to the Sol Nascente favela in Brasilia and is joined by her half-sister Chitara (Joana Darc Furtado). Chitara is revealed to be the leader of an all-female gang that steals oil from underground pipelines, refines it, and sells gasoline to an underground biker ring.
Living in constant opposition to the fiercely authoritarian and militarized government of Jair Bolsonaro, the women of Chitara claim the streets as their own as a statement of radical political resistance on behalf of ex-convicts and the oppressed.
Longa proposes to portray “a contemporary dystopian moment in Brazil”, as described by Grasshopper Film, distributor of independent productions. Also according to the company, the production brings together directors to “offer a unique vision of the possible future of the country”.
Criticism
To begin with, “Mato Seco em Chamas” entered the – by the way, very short – list of “The New York Times Critics’ Picks”.
In the review published in the newspaper, the film critic Beatrice Loayza described the Brazilian production as: “a feminist film of Brazilian gangsters that spits oil in the face of the country’s political establishment”. And she added that the film has “incendiary power” unmatched (at least by Hollywood productions).
Pimenta and Queirós invent a world where Brazilian women at the bottom of the social pyramid solve the problem themselves. And they do it without an ounce of fear or self-pity, killer style. [No longa] it’s not just the types of famous artists and actors who represent these possibilities, but the people themselves who have the most power imagining themselves in a different way.
Beatrice Loayza, film critic, in review for the New York Times
“Mato Seco em Chamas” is showing in cinemas.
The post New Bacurau? The Brazilian film ‘underground’ conquers foreign reviews and appeared for the first time on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
