After an absence of many years, Tieta, who is now in her forties, returns to Santa Ana as a rich woman, the envy of the town. Tieta has a mysterious aura about her, that no one, even her father and sister, can't imagine where her wealth comes from. Of course, having been married to a wealthy man might have been one scenario, but there are many hints pointing about what the nature of her "business" is in Sao Paolo. The truth will not be revealed until the end, when Tieta, who has grown restless in the small town, decides to go back where she belongs.
The novel by the great Jorge Amado gets a tepid adaptation by director Carlos Diegues. This is his third movie based by the director of Jorge Amado's novels. Diegues was more successful with his earlier films, "Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos" and "Gabriela, Cravo e Canela", using the master story teller's texts. In all these films he has been lucky enough to entice the gorgeous Sonia Braga to participate in them.
In fact, "Tieta do Agreste" kept reminding us of Frederich Durrenmatt's "The Visit" because in both a rich woman, who has been wronged in the past, come home to deal with the town and the people that were cruel to them, but that's where all the similarities end. In the German version, Karla deals with her past in a vengeful way, whereas in the Brazil of Jorge Amado, Tieta has a different approach.
Sonia Braga's Tieta is full of fire, and for being in her forties, at the time she made the film, she shows quite a figure as the sultry creature who discovers a few things about herself, her family, and the town in which she was banished from by her heartless father. When she needed compassion, Tieta, got none. Her revenge is that she became rich and now she is in a position to help the backward Northeast town to get the electricity it badly needs. In the process, she falls in love with a younger man who betrays her. Tieta deals with her pious sister who only cares for the money she can get for herself and her son.
Carlos Diegues got excellent performances from this talented cast. Marilia Pera, who plays Perpetua, Tieta's sister makes an excellent contribution to the film. Claudia Abreu, is another good actress that makes a good appearance in the film as Leonora, Tieta's step-daughter. The rest, Chico Anysis, Zeze Notta, Leon Gomes, among others, make a great contribution.
We read recently that Ms. Braga had returned home from her prolonged stay in the U.S., as she felt Hollywood, in general, had not been too kind to her lately. Ms. Braga deserves vehicles like "Tieta do Agreste" in which to shine. One could only hope her collaborations with Brazilian directors like Carlos Diegues will produce many more happy collaborations for our benefit.
