Vazante (film)

Last updated
Vazante
Vazante (film) poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Daniela Thomas
Written byDaniela Thomas
Beto Amaral
Produced byBeto Amaral
Maria Ionescu
Sara Silveira
StarringAdriano Carvalho
Luana Nastas
Cinematography Inti Briones
Edited byEstevan Schilling
Tiago Marinho
Production
companies
Cisma Produções
Dezenove Som e Imagem
Ukbar Filmes
Release date
  • 10 February 2017 (2017-02-10)(Berlin)
Running time
116 minutes
CountriesBrazil
Portugal
LanguagePortuguese

Vazante is a Brazilian-Portuguese historical drama adventure film about slavery in 1820s Brazil, directed by Daniela Thomas. The film premiered in the Panorama section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. [1]

Contents

Plot

In 1821 a slave trader and miner, Antonio, returns home with imported African slaves only to discover his wife has died in childbirth along with their son. In grief he abandons his home and heads to the wild. As the mines have dried up and there is no other work or chance of money, Antonio's brother-in-law, Batholomeu, decides to take the slaves to be sold himself. On the journey the slaves manage to overpower Batholomeu and free themselves from their coffle. However, as the leader of the group is fleeing he comes across Antonio who is close to death and saves him by returning him to his family.

Antonio re-enslaves the man who saved him. He remains despondent until he is approached by a free black man, Jeremias, who offers to turn his land into a profitable farm. During the burning of the brush Antonio briefly glimpses Beatriz, Batholomeu's youngest daughter who was attracted by the fire. Though she has not yet begun to menstruate, he decides to marry her, much to the distress of her parents who feel they cannot say no due to Batholomeu's loss of the slaves and their own financial difficulties.

Antonio does not consummate the marriage as Beatriz is too young, and shortly after their wedding leaves to obtain grains and other goods. Meanwhile, Beatriz's family decides to leave for Serro.

Lonely and bored, Beatriz befriends some of the children enslaved by her husband, including Virgílio, a boy her own age. While out playing they accidentally discover the leader of the African slaves who saved Antonio, dead. The death bonds them together, and while out in the fields together they are discovered by Jeremias and are bound and dragged back to the farm. Jeremias flees and the rest of the slaves conspire to keep the incident a secret. Shortly after Beatriz begins to menstruate for the first time.

Antonio returns home. After learning that Beatriz has begun menstruating he initially puts off consummating their marriage and rapes Virgílio's mother, Feliciana. However he soon begins raping Beatriz. Feliciana soon grows pregnant as does Beatriz. Upon learning of Beatriz's pregnancy Antonio swears he will never leave her again. Beatriz tries to run away but is caught and brought back by Antonio.

Beatriz goes into labour. Antonio leaves and when he returns discovers that Beatriz has birthed a black child, fathered by Virgílio. In a rage Antonio murders Beatriz's child and grandmother as well as Virgílio and Feliciana.

As Antonio warns the other slaves not to touch their bodies Beatriz come out of the house and retrieves Feliciana and Antonio's crying child and begins to suckle the baby.

Cast

Release

Vazante premiered in the Panorama section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. [2]

Reception

As of June 2020, the film holds an 85% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 34 reviews with an average rating of 7.16/10. [3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [4]

The Hollywood Reporter described the film as 'a hushed opera that builds to a shattering climax'. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Linklater</span> American film director, producer and screenwriter (born 1960)

Richard Stuart Linklater is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies Slacker (1990) and Dazed and Confused (1993); the Before trilogy of romance films: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013); the music-themed comedy School of Rock (2003); the adult animated films Waking Life (2001), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (2022); the coming-of-age drama Boyhood (2014); and the comedy film Everybody Wants Some!! (2016).

<i>Four Days in September</i> 1997 film directed by Bruno Barreto

Four Days in September is a 1997 Brazilian thriller film directed by Bruno Barreto and produced by his parents Lucy and Luiz Carlos Barreto. It is a dramatized version of the 1969 kidnapping of the United States Ambassador to Brazil, Charles Burke Elbrick, by members of Revolutionary Movement 8th October (MR-8) and Ação Libertadora Nacional (ALN).

<i>The Road Home</i> (1999 film) 2000 Chinese film

The Road Home is a 1999 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou. It also marked the cinematic debut of the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. The Road Home was written by author Bao Shi, who adapted the screenplay from his novel, Remembrance.

<i>Scandal in Sorrento</i> 1955 film by Dino Risi

Scandal in Sorrento is a 1955 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. This is the third film of the trilogy, formed by Bread, Love and Dreams in 1953, Bread, Love and Jealousy in 1954. Innovations include the use of color rather than black and white, as well the location of Sorrento instead of the small village of the previous films of the series. At the 6th Berlin International Film Festival it won the Honorable Mention award.

Daniela Thomas is a Brazilian film director, screenwriter and editor.

<i>The Second Mother</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Anna Muylaert

The Second Mother is a 2015 Brazilian drama film written and directed by Anna Muylaert. The film stars Regina Casé as Val, the housemaid of a wealthy family in São Paulo, and portrays the tensions that arise after her daughter Jéssica moves into the family's house in order to apply for an admission exam at the University of São Paulo.

<i>Little Men</i> (2016 film) 2016 film

Little Men is a 2016 American drama film directed by Ira Sachs. It had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and had its European premiere as a cross-section selection in the Generations and Panorama sections at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Strike a Pose</i> 2016 film by Ester Gould, Reijer Zwaan

Strike a Pose is a Belgian-Dutch documentary film, which premiered in the Panorama section of the 2016 Berlinale. Directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, the film profiles the dancers who performed with Madonna on her Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990.

<i>A Fantastic Woman</i> 2017 film by Sebastián Lelio

A Fantastic Woman is a 2017 drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio, written by Lelio and Gonzalo Maza. Produced by Juan de Dios and Pablo Larraín, the film stars Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Oscars and competed for the Golden Bear at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>On Body and Soul</i> 2017 film

On Body and Soul is a 2017 Hungarian drama film written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi. The story revolves around the CFO of a slaughterhouse and the newly appointed meat quality inspector who discover they can communicate with each other through their dreams, leading to an unlikely romance. It won the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. At Berlin it also won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. It was selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated at the 90th Academy Awards. Alexandra Borbély won the European Actress award at the European Film Awards for her performance in the film.

<i>Django</i> (2017 film) 2017 film

Django is a 2017 French drama film about the life of Django Reinhardt, directed by Étienne Comar. It opened the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. Reinhardt's music is performed in the film by the Rosenberg Trio.

<i>On the Beach at Night Alone</i> 2017 film by Hong Sang-soo

On the Beach at Night Alone is a 2017 South Korean drama film written, produced, and directed by Hong Sang-soo. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, where Kim Min-hee won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award.

<i>1945</i> (2017 film) 2017 film

1945 is a 2017 Hungarian drama film directed by Ferenc Török and co-written by Török and Gábor T. Szántó. It concerns two Jewish survivors of the Holocaust who arrive in a Hungarian village in August 1945, and the paranoid reactions of the villagers, some of whom fear that these and other Jews are coming to reclaim Jewish property.

<i>Insyriated</i> 2017 film

Insyriated, released in some territories as In Syria, is a 2017 Belgian drama film directed by Philippe Van Leeuw. It was screened in the Panorama section at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Panoroma Audience Award. At the 8th Magritte Awards, the film won all six awards it was nominated for, including Best Film and Best Director for Van Leeuw.

<i>The Misandrists</i> 2017 film

The Misandrists is a 2017 English-language German drama film directed by Bruce LaBruce. It was screened in the Panorama section at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Based on a True Story</i> (film) 2017 film

Based on a True Story is a 2017 French-language psychological thriller film directed by Roman Polanski, and written by Polanski and Olivier Assayas from the novel of the same name by Delphine de Vigan. It was screened out of competition at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>The Light of the Moon</i> 2017 American film

The Light of the Moon is a 2017 American drama film written, directed, and edited by Jessica M. Thompson. It stars Stephanie Beatriz as Bonnie, a woman who was sexually assaulted in New York City and covers a six-week period following the assault and deals with the resulting impact on her and the changes in her relationships.

<i>Chavela</i> (film) 2017 Mexican film

Chavela is a 2017 American documentary film, directed by Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi. The film is a portrait of Mexican singer and actress Chavela Vargas.

<i>Good Manners</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Marco Dutra and Juliana Rojas

Good Manners is a 2017 dark fantasy horror film written and directed by Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, starring Isabél Zuaa, Marjorie Estiano, Miguel Lobo and Cida Moreira.

<i>Undine</i> (2020 film) 2020 film

Undine is a 2020 German-French romantic fantasy drama film directed by Christian Petzold. It had its world premiere on 23 February 2020 at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the competition section. Paula Beer won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. It was released in theaters starting in Germany on 11 June 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Press Office (25 January 2017). "Panorama 2017 Programme Complete: Powerful European Auteur Cinema / Three Surprising Indie Gems from China and Hong Kong / Brazil Well-Represented with Five Films". Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Film File: Vazante". Berlin International Film Festival . Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Vazante (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Vazante Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ Rooney, David (February 10, 2017). "'Vazante': Film Review - Berlin 2017". The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved February 12, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.