Le marais des bêtes

In a small village in the hinterland of Pernambuco (Northeast Brazil), amoral old scrooge Heitor rants about everything and abuses his virgin (technically, at least) 15 year-old granddaughter Auxiliadora (Mariah Teixeira) in every possible way: when she's finished with her daily slave-like house chores, he takes her to a filthy joint and forces her to expose her naked body for a queue of men who pay the old ogre to feel and grope her young flesh. Among these men is Cícero (Caio Blat), an "agroboy" (a Brazilian expression defining young upper- class playboys, jackass-style, in the rural areas) who, in the lulls between violent orgies, beating prostitutes, running over peasants with his car, treating his mother like dung and indulging himself in large quantities of booze and drugs, finds the time to become obsessed with destroying the old man by raping Auxiliadora.

Polemicist director Cláudio Assis seems to follow his controversial film debut "Mango Yellow" with a regional Brazilian version of "A Clockwork Orange". Determined to elbow his way into Brazilian cinema through shocking power, he drowns in contradictions by portraying (like Kubrick did in what's perhaps his most ideologically repugnant film) appalling moral and sexual violence through stylized, almost glamorized aestheticism. With the expert help of top Brazilian D.P. Walter Carvalho, Assis wants to make sure we acknowledge his talent and technique in every shot: he uses beautifully composed images, complex dolly shots, careful lighting and a soigné color palette mainly of yellows, oranges and greens (very tropical) to show social and moral putrefaction. He wags his self-righteous, accusatory finger at his characters and at the audience: it's a massacre and everyone (except maybe himself) is beyond redemption. In Assis's films, life is rotten, people are filthy scumbags (the innocent ones are also doomed), and Dante's Inferno is a refreshing spa compared to Brazilian Northeast reality.

The film benefits immensely from Fernando Teixeira's scary performance as Heitor, with his wealth of rants in fascinating regional vernacular (which is quite untranslatable), as well as Mariah Teixeira's innocent, benumbed passivity that is somehow quite believable -- child prostitution by the initiative of the children's parents and relatives is a social plague of alarming tradition and proportions in North and Northeast Brazil (q.v. "Anjos do Sol").

Unfortunately, the non-stop exploitation on the screen transcends fiction: the orgy/abuse/rape/violence scenes are some of the most repellent, humiliating and disrespectful manipulations of established professional actors ever perpetrated by a filmmaker -- it's astonishing and revolting to see serious actors like Caio Blat, Dira Paes, Hermila Guedes, Berlin award-winner Marcélia Cartaxo and others disposed of like porn cattle (Mateus Nachtergaele's over-the-top wacko comes as no surprise: we all know by now he's into sado-masochist acting). Assis himself appears in a nauseous cameo, as a client caressing the body of the very young Auxiliadora as she becomes a road-side whore (nope, no salvation for her either).

"Baixio das Bestas" is difficult to dismiss as just an over-the-top, contradictory, sadistic film (which it is) by a manipulative, exhibitionist, attention-starving, talented filmmaker (which he is) -- it does expose the painful raw nerves of a regional social and political putrid tissue that most of us don't know about or don't want to be aware of: the exploitative, abusive, boozing, violent, almost-feudalistic macho culture that still thrives in many parts of rural Brazil. The trouble is that the oeuvre of Cláudio Assis (like Sergio Bianchi and his hopelessly pessimistic films, like "Cronicamente Inviável") feeds on dead-end concepts of Brazil as a putrid nation and of the human being either as an irredeemable, violent, corrupt beast or innocent flesh ready to be exploited and abused -- highly debatable concepts, to say the least, and not everyone's idea of a good, intelligent time at the movies. If our "mondo" is a "mondo cane", its stylization is an ideological contradiction that serves no other purpose than to make the twisted joy of sadists, masochists and depressed pessimists. Chacun son goût, I guess.

I'm Brazilian and I have to say that lately I've been really impressed by our local production... And "Baixio das Bestas" is one of those films that stuck in my mind for a while and I decided to write this review... Before watching it, i was already preparing myself for some kind of a shocking film, since its director is the excellent Cláudio Assis, a very raw person who speaks (and shoots) what he really feels is the true reality of our country. The cast of "Baixio das Bestas" hands out incredible performances, the characters are deep and violent. And before anyone says they're too brutal or something like, it must be considered that they are depicting the reality of Brazilian countryside, based on conservative and traditional rules. The film is great, superb cinematography and directing.

Baixio das Bestas, 8/10

In the countryside of Pernambuco, in a small village nearby a sugarcane plantation and an alcohol plant, the despicable and cheap Heitor (Fernando Teixeira) abuses of his sixteen year-old granddaughter Auxiliadora (Mariah Teixeira), submitting her to slavery and humiliations during the days, and every now and then exposing her naked body to truck drivers in a gas station in the night to raise additional money. The group of potheads leaded by Everardo (Matheus Nachtergaele) spends their time in violent orgies with prostitutes, drinking booze and smoking marijuana, and the mean and sadistic Cícero (Caio Blatt) desires the virgin Auxiliadora.

"Baixio das Bestas" is a pointless and cheap exploitation of sex, humiliations, violence and sadism without any message. The performances are awesome, but the unpleasant story goes nowhere with a terrible screenplay that throws characters without any previous development; only later the viewer has a big picture of what is happening and who they are. Probably the objective of director Cláudio Assis is to raise polemic to have the spots on him, unfortunately in an awful and nasty way. And the worst, it seems to have worked based on the several wins and nominations of this movie in minor festivals. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Baixio das Bestas"

This film, showcasing the "beasts" in a village, earns my admiration as a remarkable piece of work. In an industry typically dominated by humanistic narratives that focus on the inherent goodness within people, suggesting that ordinary individuals lean towards the virtuous side of the moral spectrum, this film takes a contrasting, pessimistic stance on human nature-a perspective with which I found myself closely aligned.

The narrative unfolds over a few ordinary days in the lives of some young lads, a couple of prostitutes, and various villagers, typical of everyday existence. The film refrains from extraordinary events, yet exposes decay and moral corruption in the mundane moments of daily life. What's intriguing is that even the characters responsible for this decay and moral corruption express complains, yet they perceive themselves as innocent, projecting all immorality onto others. The depiction of this hypocrisy, a prevalent aspect of human behavior in real life, pleased me.

While the film shows us lives of several characters, there is a specific character that the narrative distinctly focuses on-Auxiliadora, a young girl exploited by her grandfather. We can say that the film's main focus revolving around her. The realism depicted in the film arises from its authenticity. Though one can anticipate the general trajectory of the girl's experiences early on, the film's realism, not predictability, is what makes it compelling.

"Bog of Beasts" is one of the most authentic films I've seen in a long time. It was so authentic that I found some dialogues challenging to comprehend. Jokes aside, I'm glad I watched it.

For me, the most impressive scene in the film is when Everardo delivers the following monologue: "-you know the best thing about the cinema?" He takes a deep drag from his cigarette and looks directly into the camera: "-in the cinema you can do whatever you like." Wow, it was truly powerful. For this scene alone, I can wholeheartedly recommend the film.

For me the best thing about cinema is filmmakers who create original and bold works like this. Thanks to everyone involved in the making of this film.

"Baixio das Bestas" (2006) is not framed as conventional entertainment, but rather as a profound reflection on the social tragedies that afflict the interior of Brazil, problems that have perpetuated over the years and still persist in several regions.

The promising cast delivers powerful and convincing performances, elevating the film's immersion and emotionally impacting viewers. The plot is disturbing and uncomfortable, reflecting director Cláudio Assis' clear intention to provoke discomfort and reflection. In just a few minutes, the plot addresses critical social issues, such as the sexual exploitation of young women, physical and psychological violence, poverty, social marginalization and impunity, developing these themes with depth and sensitivity. However, the film opts for a more fragmented narrative, composed of melancholic and depressing scenes, abandoning a cohesive structure in favor of a raw and visceral exposition of Brazilian reality.

"Baixio das Bestas" is not an easy-to-digest film, but its intention is precisely to shock and awaken the public to a tangle of social criticism. For those who understand the context and objectives of the work, it proves to be a profound and necessary experience.