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A breathtaking Brazilian offering from writer/director Karim Ainouz,
Madame Satã is a historical narrative that explores the true
life of Joao Francisco dos Santos, a chameleonic figure of Brazilian
history
with almost mythic fame. As a young man dos Santos lived in the
bohemian district of Lapa, Rio de Janeiro in the 1930’s and forged
his fame fulfilling his dream as a flamboyant, transvestite stage
performer,
all the while never shedding his claims to the streets. Dos Santos
died in 1976 after leading a dramatic life in and out of notoriety
and jail.Ainouz’s work tells the story of dos Santos, pre-Madame Satã,
as he continuously throws a wrench in the societal wheels by repeatedly
redefining his identity while trying to transcend the stigmatizations
of class, race and homophobic feelings. The narrative follows the
daily life and dramas of dos Santos as a violent yet caring enigma
and ends on the brink of Francisco’s transformation into Madame
Satã. The intimacy of the work is striking as we watch the
son of ex-slaves live his life in constant flux, from street fighter
to lover, from prisoner to stage performer.
The most amazing aspect of the film is Walter Carvalho’s work
as Director of Photography and Marcos Pedroso’s production design.
The imagery of the film is dark, intimate and rich. What you see
on film brings to mind the stench you would actually smell in the
run-down neighborhood in which dos Santos’ makeshift “family” lives
in the 1930’s. The pain of dos Santos’ unrealized dreams we can
see in the colors and textures on screen. Opening July 9th at the
Film Forum in New York City, the film is one of beauty and complexity
addressing one man’s ability to invent himself and live free in
an imprisoning world.
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