Manas - Cinema M on tour

Thirteen-year-old Marcielle lives with her parents and two younger sisters on the riverbanks on Marajó Island in the Amazon rainforest. They live there in huts on stilts. She goes hunting with her father, helps around the house, plays with her little sister (manas = sisters), and goes to the village school. It soon becomes clear that Marcielle's home situation is not ideal. She holds on to the idea that her older sister has found a better life with a man, on the inland vessels that often pass the island. A life far away from her hopeless reality. As she tries to follow in her sister's footsteps, her dream slowly falls apart. Despite the intense story, the drama, which won the directing award at the Venice Film Festival (2024), is told almost documentarily, calmly, and without the addition of music. Birds sing their song in the jungle, children play softly chirping, and the water ripples peacefully – but that setting is downright treacherous. Initially, Marianna Brennand wanted to make a documentary about women's lives in remote communities in the Braziliaanse Amazone. Places where the #MeToo movement is unknown and where women are kept under control and damaged for life under the guise of traditions and religious beliefs. Her choice for a fiction approach turns out to be poignant and credible, with a cast that makes complex emotions palpable and never leans towards sentimentality. The film is a co-production of Walter Salles and the Dardenne brothers. ‘Manas’ is a poignant portrait of oppression and resilience. Brazil, Portugal 2024 Director: Marianna Brennand Cast : Jamilli Correa, Fátima Macedo, Rômulo Braga, Dira Paes, Samira Eloá, Enzo Maia, Emily Pantoja, Gabriel Rodrigues Genre: drama Duration: 1 hour 41 min. Spoken language: Portuguese