REVIEW: ‘Bacurau,’ now available to stream
Photo: Bacurau begins with the funeral of Carmelita, and then everything falls apart. Photo courtesy of Victor Jucá / Provided by Kino Lorber press site with permission.
There is nothing quite like Bacurau, and that should come off as a ringing endorsement. The surreal western film, now available in virtual screening rooms thanks to Laemmle Theatres and Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles, is a violent fable that has a social consciousness about present-day issues in Brazil and around the world. If audience members are willing to get through all the blood splatter (on par with a Quentin Tarantino film), there are immeasurable enjoyments to be had.
Bacurau, which gives the movie its title, is a small village in the rural parts of Brazil known as the sertão. The story begins with a beloved matriarch in the community dying and a young woman named Teresa (Bárbara Colen) returning to the village to bid adieu to her grandmother. Carmelita (Lia de Itamaracá) was the glue that held this small town together, and now with her gone, everything seems to fall apart.
Here’s where things start to take a bizarre turn … The residents of Bacurau, while trying to get on with their life after Carmelita’s passing, realize that their town is no longer coming up in Google searches. They seem to be completely wiped off the map. Then there’s a UFO drone recording their every move. Then there are two bikers who speed into town and seem to be lost, or are they?
The grand plan of Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, co-writers and co-directors, only starts to take shape when Udo Kier (yes, that Udo Kier) enters the story as a ringleader of a brutal gang of mercenaries who are determined to kill every last resident of Bacurau. Their motives are unclear, but there seems to be a Hungers Games-esque quality to the narrative because after each kill, which is spectacularly violent, the mercenaries rejoice and even receive sexual satisfaction.
Underneath this sordid story, there are some profound lessons and social commentaries. Community life is brought into the crosshairs, but it is this community that must band together and fight back against these evil outside influences. There’s a lot to consider in that packed idea, and it all comes to bear in the satirical bloodbath that is Bacurau.
One can ask so many interesting questions about these characters. Why are they being targeted? Why is their way of life threatened? Is there anyway for them to survive? What (or who) will be lost in their struggle? Does the guitar-playing local who weaves in and out of scenes have something important to say, or is he a distraction? What is going on?
The supporting cast are brilliantly believable in their varied roles. There’s much to appreciate in the performances of Thomas Aquino as Pacote and Sônia Braga as Domingas. They are engaging in their individual characterizations and how they respond to this new threat to their livelihood. Kier is also effective in the maniacal leadership over his team of gun-toting monsters.
Bacurau comes off as two movies brought together into one package. Before one understands what’s going on, there’s a quaintness and serenity to the village life. It’s a portrait of small-town Brazil, ripe with quirkiness and humor, but then any positivity is shattered by the invaders, whose motives are never fully articulated. This second half of the film tests the stomach of viewers because the violence is never-ending and never softened. Still, within the carnage, there’s that central message of trying to offer commentary on the world as it stands today and the ongoing threat against community life.
One scene perfectly encapsulates this two-pronged narrative approach: A man gardens while completely nude, no doubt an activity he has done several times over. Perhaps unbeknownst to him, there is a mercenary lurking nearby, for some reasons ready to take him out, even though he doesn’t pose a risk at all. What transpires combines this small, peaceful community life with a shattering display of violence. And ultimately it makes one think.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Bacurau (2019). Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles. Starring Udo Kier, Sônia Braga, Bárbara Colen and Thomas Aquino. In English and Portuguese with English subtitles. Running time: 131 minutes. Rating: 
Click here to watch Bacurau in a virtual screening room.
