Director: Carolina Markowicz
Script: Carolina Markowicz
Cinematography: Pepe Mendes
Stars: Maeve Jinkings, Rômulo Braga, Jean de Almeida Costa, César Bordón…
Year: 2022
Runtime: 107 min
Original version with English and Czech subtitles
CHARCOAL
Irene lives with her husband Jair, they have a nine-year-old son Jean, and they also have to take care of Irene's father, who can no longer manage on his own. The pervasive suffocating smoke from the coal production is a harbinger of surprising and terrifying events. The family gets an opportunity to improve their dire situation when a mysterious stranger willing to help enters the picture, but not without a certain favour in return... The entire film is intertwined with a unique storytelling style that keeps us guessing about what will happen next. It reflects a critique of Brazilian society, particularly its approach to everyday violence, religion, and morality, where lies and deceit are the norm. It portrays Brazil as many people refuse to see it or simply cannot, whether it's turning a blind eye to corruption or engaging in drug trade and its far-reaching consequences. The director Carolina Markowicz's very first feature film delves deep and shows the escape from values, whose remnants are mercilessly destroyed in the child's character. It explores what people hide and how far they are willing to go when their conscience seems to have lost faith in the final judgment.