Rodéo

Behind the scenes of the vaquejadas, Iremar and a group of cowboys prepare the bulls before releasing them into the arena. The daily routine is intense and visceral, but Iremar's ambitions are greater: lying in his hammock mounted on the back of the truck, he dreams of sequins, exquisite fabrics and fashion designs.

Slow, which even in 1.5 seemed slow, a sincere and delicate portrait of the struggle of the countryside, the ill-fated agro, with a strong and pleasant accent, rudimentary and rupestrian life, a dazzling chaotic energy, whether due to the strength of these people, the joy of small pleasures, the family affection, the sex scenes, of fantastic poetry and aesthetic beauty, with tenderness and aridity, the sad condescension of the lack of hope, the infamous poverty and the inversion of gender roles, perfect and necessary...

When the programme of 2015's London Film Festival described 'Neon Bull' as containing "scenes of sexual frankness" I didn't expect one of them to feature a man masturbating a horse! But such is the world of South American rodeos as featured in this Brazilian/Uruguayan/Dutch co-production.

The film follows a group who transport unfortunate bulls from rodeo to rodeo. Galega is the driver, mother to annoying young daughter Cacá and occasional dancer for men who like to see women in sparkly costumes and horses-head masks (a niche market, I should think). Those costumes are made by Iremar, who also manhandles the bulls before they're sent into the arena, but who dreams of being instead a tailor in a clothing factory. There's also Zé, a fat buffoon of a man who serves as the film's comedy relief, and Júnior, who like Iremar is not the traditional macho stereotype of the South American male - he hauls bulls with the best of them, but then spends hours in front of the mirror fixing his hair. There's no central plot line as such; instead the film follows the characters through their daily lives, including one or two dramatic set-pieces such as the incident with the horse, and then ends.

This is not a film for prudes: sequences such as the horse incident, and a lengthy sex scene involving a heavily-pregnant woman, ensure that. Nor is it a film for those concerned with animal welfare: there are several distressing shots of the bulls being pulled to the ground as horseriders yank their tails, and the film opens with a shot of the bulls crammed so tightly into their pen that the head of one is being crushed beneath the flanks of another. I very much hope that these scenes were not enacted simply for the film but were filmed at actual rodeos, although that itself would be bad enough: in life as in art, animals should not suffer for human entertainment.

Beautiful film, thoughtful, intriguing with wonderful cinematography and performances and some great, inventive well-written scenes, definitely worth watching. But: Do not watch if you cannot see animal cruelty depicted. No idea what obscenely cruel humans invented and still perpetuate this absolutely horrible bull sport depicted in the film, some have tried to ban it but been overruled by 'cultural' exceptions' -culture should not excuse it- it is horrifying.

Well, this is certainly something different. I can't think what the last Brazilian film was I saw but it was certainly nothing like this. Set in rural Brazil this colourful little piece depicts a group taking a number of bulls on the road to participate in a series of rodeos. The whole thing is mind boggling, the show itself seems only to consist of two horseman trapping one of the bulls between them and then competing to turn the animal over by pulling its tale. Along the way we get a prize bull being masturbated in an attempt to steal its semen and an explicit sex scene wth a beautiful and heavily pregnant lady security guard cum seller of perfume to those labouring amidst all the muck. There is charm and interest plus a little humour and some glorious photography though very little narrative as such.

As someone who moved with his family to the other end of the world (Montevideo) at age 2 and absorbed that culture until age 8, I am always attracted to South American movies. It is a much different world, and Neon Bull shows that in every aspect. The sensuality mixed with brutality, the sheer strangeness of cowboys ogling a dancing scantily clad woman wearing a horse head and hooves, and unique relationships which of necessity are forged by the need to survive a hostile environment make this a compelling watch. It's an upside down world to be sure, and if you are tired of MPAA ratings affecting what you watch, let alone the excess censorship of most television, this is for you. Enjoy the ride, although for some it may take you by the tail and tip you off your feet.