#foreign land

10/10

Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas manage to perfectly contrast passion and thriller in "Terra Estrangeira"(Foreign Land), with stunning shots in black and white through São Paulo and Portugal and beautiful score (especially in the end with "Vapor Barato", by Gal Costa). At the beginning of the film I wondered: how will these characters reach their final state? How will they meet? These questions tells us what this film is about, the volatility of life. Paco (Fernando Alves Pinto), an aspiring artist, had lifelong plans with his mother, but the political-economic scenario in Brazil in the 90s did not allow confort for the dreamers. After drastic measures were taken by President Fernando Collor, Paco's life would change completely and just as hundreds of young brazillians he would flee the country in search of change and with hope to fulfill his mother's dream of returning home. The blossoming of his romance with Alex (Fernanda Torres) is intertwined with the rising anguish of the future consequences of his actions in an extremely sensible way. All of this made possible the creation of a palpable narrative with real characters in a manner that evokes a feeling of ecstasy for the pure recognition of the functioning of life.