Blue Blood

I saw Sangue Azul at Berlinale film festival in February 2015. Huge screen, great projection, and a public that is here to celebrate movies. Perfect circumstances you'd think. And they were, for me. This is the kind of movie that you have to dive into, and let yourself go. I did, and was totally swept into the world created by director Lírio Ferreira. Just briefly, the story revolves around a prodigal son, who returns to his native island,far off in the Atlantic waters between Brazil and Africa, as a member of a circus troupe. He had left as a child 20 years earlier, and his return opens up all sorts of wounds and desires. Will he re-assimilate, or will he not? The thing is, it's not really about the plot - the movie is much more observational, sensual, magical, and in many ways, intentionally vague. It does not offer all the answers, we are invited to draw our own conclusions. Some might criticize it for that, but to me, that is something I like. Think Terrence Malick's movies, in that those, too, are rather observational, as opposed to being clearly plot- or character-driven. Similarly to Malick's movies, the film has breathtaking camera work and magical images (by Mauro Pinheiro Jr.). It was an intense and very cinematic experience. I was, frankly, a little disappointed that the applause after the movie presentation wasn't more enthusiastic, since the director was there, and in my book, he gave us a beautiful masterpiece.