A provincial town in Brazil resists corrupt politicians and foreign invaders who seem committed to erasing it from the face of the Earth in a fable that mixes Western with political satire and won the Jury Prize at the 72ndCannes Film Festival.
Bacurau—a small town in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco—has come under a strange attack from local politicians and mercenary killers from abroad. However, the town’s inhabitants are not ready to give up their land, preparing a bloodbath for the invaders.
With good Brazilian villagers fighting vicious and somewhat grotesque foreign aggressors, Bacurau could be mistaken for anti-imperialist propaganda if it was not so clever. Playing with genres, Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho weave elements of folklore, western, comedy, and fable into the plot without falling into clichés. Showing through this incredible mix is a sense of discomfort with regards to the conservative turn in Brazil’s politics after the election of Jair Bolsonaro as president.
Bacurau
Directors: Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho
Brazil, France, 2019. 131 min. 16+
The screening is part of Moscow Film Night and is organized in collaboration with Moskino and Iskusstvo kino.