Disclaimer; I received this dvd for free in exchange for my review, I have not been compensated in any other way.
João Paulo Miranda Maria explores the racial tensions of modern-day Brazil in MEMORY HOUSE, a lush, haunting debut feature rooted in Brazilian folklore.
Living in modern times but trapped in a colonial nightmare, Cristovam (Antônio Pitanga, a noted actor in Brazil’s Cinema Novo movement of the 1960s) is an Indigenous black man from the rural north of Brazil who migrated for work during the economic boom to an affluent Austrian enclave in the south.
Over three decades later, he is now lost in a decadent community. Informed that he must take a wage cut at the milk factory where he has worked for many years and confronted by virulent racism on a daily basis, he becomes more and more estranged from the white world and finds refuge in an abandoned home where he discovers artifacts reminiscent of his past.
As Cristovam rediscovers his roots, he comes to the realization that nothing has changed. The attacks he endures in the community, both mental and physical, awaken in him a legacy of abuse carried down for centuries and Cristovam begins a spiritual and physical metamorphosis…
With dreamlike images steeped in traditional Brazilian folklore from Oscar-winning cinematographer Benjamin Echazarreta (A Fantastic Woman), MEMORY HOUSE is a “a study of what happens to an oppressed minority as decades of abuse chip away at his humanity” and “a timely commentary on integration and colonialism. Go to Youtube to see the Trailer for “Memory House”
BONUS FEATURES
- Commentary by director João Paulo Miranda Maria
- Bonus Short Film — The Girl Who Danced with the Devil (Directed by João Paulo Miranda Maria | Brazil | Portuguese with English subtitles | 15 minutes) — A girl living in a conservative religious society finds paradise in an unlikely place – at the local disco. Winner of a Special Jury Mention at Cannes 2016.
PROGRAM INFORMATION Type: DVD/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu) Genre: World Cinema/Drama Running Time: 94 minutes Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen Audio: 5.1 Surround Sound/Stereo 2.0 Language: Portuguese and German with English Subtitles.
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