Claudia Mattos pays tribute to her grandfather in the fake documentary ‘O RJ de Ho Chi Minh’

The director mixes real facts with the story of a Vietnamese man in Brazil

While the praise may seem excessive, it is true. Ever since Orson Welles did it Truth and lies, since 1975, there was nothing so intriguing. To reduce the arc the most recent can be cited diamondby duo Daniel Schmidt / Gabriel Abranches, from 2018. A gem of Brazilian cinema is in theaters – Rio de Janeiro of Ho Chi Minh. Claudia Mattos’ film is part of the fake documentary aspect.

Imagine the Rio of 1912/13. Everything that is real happens in the city. Revolt of the Lash, Spanish influence. In this painting, and inspired by the figure of her grandfather, Claudia tells the story of a certain Blind Knife, a cook aboard a Merchant Navy ship. Blind Knife gets an oriental helper and is called Ho Chi Minh, He who enlightens. Under the impetus of the cook’s socialist ideology, Ho Chi Minh becomes the revolutionary who was instrumental in the independence of Indochina and, subsequently, in the Vietnam War.

Journalist before becoming the talented filmmaker that she is, Claudia knows that, in the era of fake news, it is enough to give a lie a format of reality for it to pass for truth. This is how Blind Knife was born – “The name is real, and it really existed, but the story of him in the film is that of my grandfather” – and her incredible friendship with Ho Chi Minh. Friendship on the screen and go. Cláudia called her friend Luiz Antônio Pilar, also a director, to be the grandson of Faca Cega, who is making a documentary about his grandfather. “I told him everything I knew about my grandfather and gave him carte blanche to improvise.”

The result is this meta-cinema delight. Everything is false except the truths. Ho Chi Minh really passed through Rio: he is there, in the dates of his life, recorded in the immense Vietnamese mausoleum. The rest is invention. “The film was born ten years ago. It is a BO product, that is, it is low budget. We shot in Rio and Vietnam, in Ha Long Bay, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Shooting in Vietnam is difficult, it’s just that I need approval, but they have been very nice to us. They understand that, behind the lie, there is a lot of truth in the film and he is affectionate with his national hero. “

A great scene. Léa Garcia as Pilar’s grandmother, arguing with her grandson about an alleged lover of Blind Knife. “We shot it in two takes, it was wonderful, the two of us invented it.”

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.