Ressaca is a Brazilian documentary that tackles the relationship between art and power. The economic crisis in the country led to the closure of a Rio de Janeiro theater by the city's mayor's office, launching a struggle for art, which entwines with the struggle for survival.
There are several opening scenes in the film that bring to mind Fellini's Orchestra Rehearsal. This documentary reveals the inner structure of a theater and tells the story of people who work in it. The threat of closure puts everyone, from actors and musicians to ticket takers and administrators, on a level playing field. The theater depicted in the film becomes a kind of model or metaphor of society in the face of a crisis. Due to its black and white solution, the events shown in the film are perceived somewhat remotely, as if from a historical perspective, although it was shot in hot pursuit of the events of 2018. This color scheme emphasizes the visual equality of concert and everyday episodes and represents a luxurious theater building constructed in the early twentieth century in a literally new light. Ballerinas dancing in exchange for food, musicians looking for temporary work, young talents leaving to go abroad… Even though the actors and staff are fighting for their rights and jobs, this is, in fact, a battle for the future of the entire city, since with the closure of the theater, it will lose an integral part of its history and culture.
Ressaca
Dir. Vincent Rimbaux Patrizia Landi
Brazil, 2018. 84 min. 18+