It isn’t often that a movie comes along to completely upends your perspective of a genre. But that is the rare feat achieved by the hypnotic and wonderfully written “Bacurau”. In two hours full of tension set amidst the rugged beauty of the Brazilian sertao, the 2019 feature film is a masterclass in show don’t tell storytelling you’ll be talking about long after the credits roll.
The movie takes place in the state of Pernambuco in the often economically neglected northeast of Brazil. A young woman named Teresa journey back home for a funeral is our entrypoint in this strange yet arresting place. Early shots show just how isolated and disadvantaged the village she’s heading is. Yet despite its distance from the glitz and glamor of the big city, Bacurau is full of life, love, and human beings.
Little by little, we are introduced to the people of Bacurau, warts and all. From local schoolteacher Plinio to the bandit Pacote and so many more. Soon, the village’s ongoing feud with provincial official Tony Jr. comes into focus. It is a conflict connected to water rights, abuse of power, and local hero Lunga, viewed by authorities as a dangerous and wanted man.
Then people start getting killed. It’s a sudden turn of events heralded by the appearance of a UFO and strange visitors seen in Bacurau. A clash between the village and the world outside is coming that will leave well over a dozen people dead.
Directors Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles do a magnificent job balancing the horror Bacurau’s residents experience with the mysterious motives of their tormentors. Yet throughout the blood and overwhelming sense of fear the wonder of the Brazilian backlands is captured. Quiet moments are intermixed with louder plot beats, neither taking precedence over the other.
It helps that the acting and sound design are also topnotch. The movie is full of characters that are each given just enough to do to be memorable. There’s the guitar-playing jokester Carranca, eccentric local doctor Domingas, announcer DJ Urso, wise Damiano, and so many more. Without spoiling anything, even its villains are notable.
“Bacurau” is that rare genre-bending hidden gem. Its equal-parts captivating, tragic, and thought-provoking; just like the marvelous part of Brazil where it unfolds.
Ismael David Mujahid, Executive Editor