Overview
- The 158-minute thriller, written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, begins its German theatrical run on 6 November.
- Set during Brazil’s 1977 military dictatorship, the story follows a former scientist who returns to Recife under a false name, pursued by killers as corrupt police and routine violence define public life.
- A later timeline tracks young researchers who sift cassette testimonies and archives, turning the act of recording and remembering into the film’s investigative engine.
- A recurring grotesque—an amputated human leg discovered in a shark—functions as a jolt to civic numbness, with local “Jaws” screenings and carnival chaos deepening the film’s cultural texture.
- Premiered at Cannes, the film won Best Director for Mendonça Filho and Best Actor for Moura, with German reviews highlighting its formally inventive, politically charged approach and some noting Oscar talk.