BACURAU - MIFF 2019

Set a few years from now, the residents of Bacurau, a small country town in Brazil, are mourning the death of their matriarch who passed away a few days prior. The self sufficient town is currently in a battle with the government who have shut the nearby dam to stop the residents from being able to use it. However knowing their vote is still important, the local official attempts to buy the votes of the people with gifts of food and books, without backing down and giving the people what they really want which is the re-opening of the dam. The collective group will not have it, and rally together to chase the official out of town. Soon after though, a number of strange occurrences are noticed as by chance they discover that their little town is no longer present on any maps, be it on the internet or in hard copy form. While odd, nobody expects anything too sinister in it, but when the water truck soon arrives with bullet holes in the tank, leaking the water they need to survive, some of the residents are convinced that something is going on, and the town of Bacurau is at the centre of it. When mobile phone signals suddenly die, it confirms their suspicions and they start to think they are being deliberately isolated from the rest of Brazil. By who and for what reason, they do not know, but they are almost certain that they are going to be under attack in any moment. However once again, the residents come together to fight back and protect their way of life and their little town. Things become more complicated though when one of the residents is certain they saw a UFO circling the town.

“Bacurau” is the third feature film from director Kleber Mendonca Filho, but this time he is also joined in the director's chair by Juliano Dornelles, who was the production designer on Filho's previous two features. It is another fantastic film, and I was gripped right from the opening moments of “Bacurau” right until its thrilling end. The film is superbly paced and just has an energy to it, which keeps the narrative moving at a good clip. The first half of the film is set up like a mystery, and we are in the dark as to exactly what is going on, just like the residents of Bacurau themselves. The whole set up to the film is wonderfully handled and very suspenseful; you know that something isn't right and are on the edge until you know what that is. When we do find out what is actually happening, thankfully, it doesn't disappoint and changes the tone and style of film for the second half as the residents prepare to defend themselves from this unknown threat (which I will not spoil).

The strongest element to “Bacurau” is that Filho and Dornelles have done a superb job of creating a sense of community amongst the people of the town. You totally buy into the fact that they have known and lived with these people for the majority of their lives, and while the don't all get along all the time, they would still give their lives to protect each other. The opening funeral scene is testament to that as we witness the whole town both devastated by the death of the old woman and respectful of the funeral traditions. One of the members does end up drinking too much and makes a scene, but the rest of the group are actually understanding of this momentary lapse of judgement. The town wants whats best for everyone, and again this is proven when the government official (ie. An outsider) attempts to ruffle some feathers and is instantly shut down. This is a tight knit group and you pity any one or thing that tries to upset them. Filho and Dornelles also make the brilliant decision to make the film an ensemble piece rather than having a main character front and centre with the rest of the group standing behind this person. Instead, they have created a believable group of characters that are very well defined but who also fit into the group. It all feels very real. Sure, there are characters that have been built up more and stand out, but this is only because this is also true of their place within the group. This is consistent from an acting standpoint too, as everyone gives a fantastic performance here and no one attempts to outshine anyone else. That said, I have to mention Udo Kier, who is given a much larger role than is usual these days, and who is just fantastic. He is an outsider of Bacurau and as such doesn't play by the same rules, and like the film itself, he is packed full of energy in his role. He comes across as though he is having a ball in the film too.

One aspect of the film that I really loved was that some of the characters are given certain traits or back stories, that if this were a Hollywood film would end up becoming a key component of the finale. You know the type of thing, a character is scared of heights, so you know at the end he or she will find themselves looking over a cliff having to overcome their fear to save the day. This sort of blatant and obvious foreshadowing is a pet peeve of mine because it suddenly makes the story so predictable, but that doesn't happen here. The things that we learn about these characters more often than not do not come further into play other than rounding out the characters more and giving them some depth, so they are not just cardboard cutouts that the audience cares little for. This extra depth gives us something more to hold onto and makes the stakes higher when the shit hits the fan.

Speaking of that, when things do finally go bad, “Bacurau” becomes a very violent and bloody film, and Filho and Dornelles do not shy away from the graphic depictions of it. Very late in the film, there is an incredibly graphic shot gun blast to the face, which saw one young lady in the audience I was in immediately get up and leave the cinema. Also this is a world too where children are not immune to the effects of violence, so if you sensitive to this, be warned, as it is a little confronting at times. Without giving too much away, what I loved about the second half or finale of the film was that the roles of the hunter and the hunted are totally reversed, and that Bacurau is not the easy target it is thought to have been. That said, I do like the opening of the film a little more because the set up is so well put together and laid out, that when the pay off ends up coming around, it almost happens too quickly for my liking.

Kleber Mendonca Filho has once again teamed up with cinematographer Pedro Sotero, and like the two previous films they collaborated on “Bacurau” is a gorgeous looking film. Just by the nature of the story itself, the images within this film are much different then the previous films, but Sotero does a fantastic job of giving the surrounding desert landscapes an ominous feel, while expertly using split diopter camera tricks to help in the building of the suspense. Whilst music is used sparingly in the film, when it does kick in it gives the film a real John Carpenter feel to it, especially during a piece of electronic music that arrives about half way through the film.

I should mention that apparently “Bacurau” also works as political allegory attacking the current political climate of Brazil, however sadly I do not have any knowledge of the current situations taking place in Brazil, so cannot report how the film plays out on that level. Do not panic though if you are oblivious to the political subtext (like myself) as the film works wonderfully well as an entertaining thriller in its own right.

Overall, I was a big fan of Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles's “Bacurau”. It is a superbly paced action thriller that has a strong sense of community at its core. It is well acted by everyone involved including Sonia Braga, Barbara Colen and of course, Udo Kier. Whilst it has an extended running time of 132 minutes, it is paced to perfection and just flies by. Split into two halves, the first half is full of mystery and intrigue whilst the second is full of blood and violence; put together it is one hell of an entertaining movie.

4 Stars.