Currently, national audiovisual productions have gained greater recognition among the Brazilian public. However, domestic cinema still faces challenges in terms of wide circulation in the country and attracts little interest in most people.
However, despite having faced a number of difficulties throughout its existence and formation, the Brazilian audiovisual is quite rich, diverse and has a lot of history to tell.
In view of this, we have decided to present the 10 best Brazilian films, according to a list prepared by the Brazilian Association of Film Critics (ABRACCINE), entitled “The 100 best Brazilian films“. This list included the participation of leading Brazilian film critics.
Below are the top 10 rankings.
top 10 national films
Joaquim Pedro de Andrade directed “Macunaíma”, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mário de Andrade. The film is a surrealist comedy full of symbolism of Brazilian culture and social criticism.
The production stars important names of Brazilian cinema and television, such as Grande Otelo, Paulo José, Dina Sfat, Milton Gonçalves, Jardel Filho, Rodolfo Arena, Joana Fomm, Wilza Carla, Hugo Carvana and Zezé Macedo.
Available on GlobePlay.
Anselmo Duarte directs the adaptation of the play of the same name written by Dias Gomes, in turn inspired by a true story, “O Pagador de Promessas” won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962.
In the story, a simple man (Leonardo Villar) promises Santa Bárbara in a courtyard in Candomblé to save his sick donkey. When the donkey recovers, he fulfills his promise by carrying a cross to the church of Santa Bárbara in São Paulo. However, when he gets there, the priest (Dionísio Azevedo) refuses to see him when he learns the details.
The film is available for free on the Itaú Cultural Play platform. It is also available on GloboPlay.
This is definitely one of the most popular domestic films and probably one of the few watched by most people on this list. Under the direction of Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, the feature film was very successful in and outside Brazil. The production received four Academy Award nominations in 2004.
The film has a pop aesthetic influenced by American police and crime films, dynamic editing, and uses real locations and non-professional actors living in humble communities in Rio de Janeiro.
Available to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ subscribers.
Directed by Luís Sérgio Person, “São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima” explores themes such as alienation, disillusionment, emptiness, anguish and lack of perspective in automated and mechanical life in a large metropolis.
The film is an urban drama that portrays the life of an executive (Walmor Chagas) of a large company in São Paulo who feels alienated and dissatisfied with the middle-class life he leads.
Available for Looke and GloboPlay subscribers.
This film by Rogério Sganzerla is considered one of the landmarks of marginal cinema, a film movement that represented a break with the Cinema Novo, adopting a more experimental, abstract and fragmented approach.
Inspired by true events involving the criminal known as “The Red Light Bandit”, the film mixes elements of American genre cinema, such as crime and noir, with a rigidly experimental style, characterized by visual deconstructions and the abandonment of narrative conventional. .
Available to Mubi subscribers. It is also available for free on the Itaú Cultural Play platform.
“Terra em Transe” is one of the most emblematic works of Cinema Novo, a cinematographic movement that sought to portray the social, political and cultural reality of Brazil with a critical and innovative perspective.
Aesthetically articulated in a poetic and dialectical way, Glauber Rocha’s film is an implacable socio-political allegory of the Brazil of that period. The film is set in a fictional country in Latin America and follows the journey of an intellectual and poet (played by Jardel Filho) who becomes involved in political intrigue and power games.
Available for Mubi and GloboPlay subscribers.
“Cabra Marcado para Morrer”, acclaimed documentary directed by Eduardo Coutinho, stands out not only for its excellence, but also for its unique production history.
In 1962, João Pedro Teixeira, leader of the peasant league of Sapé, Paraíba, was assassinated on the orders of the landowners.
Coutinho begins making a film about his life in 1964, involving the fictional recreation of the political events culminating in his death, with Teixeira’s widow playing her own role. However, production was halted due to the military coup.
Seventeen years later, in 1981, Coutinho resumed the project in documentary form, looking for Elizabeth Teixeira and the others involved in the aborted film.
Available to Belas Artes à La Carte subscribers.
One of the landmarks of cinema novo, “Vidas Secas” is directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos and based on the homonymous literary work by Graciliano Ramos.
With a gritty and realistic treatment of the characters’ lives and the drought in the backcountry, the film presents the image of misery in a powerful and overwhelming way.
The plot takes place in the northeastern hinterland and shows a family and their dog living in precarious conditions and coping with the hardships of drought, hunger and exploitation by landowners.
Available on GlobePlay.
Another Glauber Rocha film on the list, the classic “Deus eo Diabo na Terra do Sol” is one of the most recognized and influential examples of “Cinema Novo”.
The film is set in the northeastern sertão and deals with social issues such as class struggle, religion, drought and violence. and politics, in a poetic aesthetic full of symbolism.
The film is available for free on the Itaú Cultural Play platform.
The greatest film of all time, according to Abraccine, was misunderstood upon its release, due to its experimental approach, non-linear narrative, and visual abstraction.
Directed by Mário Peixoto, “Limite” is a silent film with an enigmatic plot. The plot oscillates between three characters trapped in a boat adrift on the high seas, intertwining sequences of memories, dreams and visions.
Available to Belas Artes à La Carte subscribers. You can watch the movie for free on Libreflix.
The post What are the 10 best Brazilian films according to critics first appeared 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.
