Charcoal

Shocked, one plot twist after another, and when we least expect it, we are surprised again, with outstanding performances, especially the young Jean de Almeida Costa, so natural that it doesn't even seem like he's acting, with a delicious accent, the latent poverty, everything so real that we can feel the cold, the pain, the hunger, the smell, the photography and the locations, perfectly perfect, a cruel drama, with great hints of ironic humor, filled with an engaging suspense... Captivating... It was one of the pre-selected films as one of Brazil's representatives for the Oscar for best international film.

In a small town in the countryside, a family receives a lucrative but also dangerous proposal: to host a stranger in their home. Even before he arrives, however, arrangements need to be made, and family life begins to change. However, none of the family members, much less the guest himself, sees their expectations met.

"Carvão" ("Charcoal") is one of those original stories that for hearing the plot you get the feeling that you've seen it before but trust me, you have not seen this story, neither the spectacular and gripping way in which was told. Carolina Markovicz directorial debut is one of the most impressive I ever seen in recent years, either for the way she conducts her incredible script and her direction of actors; and after seeing her second feature "Pedágio" I can only say that we'll be hearing a lot from her works.

In this unconventional dramatic thriller, a poor family living in dire situations receive a risky yet rewarding offer of providing a hiding place to a foreign drug dealer (César Bordón). Family gets the money, the criminal gets a temporary safe place and everybody wins one can easily assume. But at what cost?

It's obvious that there'll be disagreements between both parties, between the family itself and the inner morals of each member of the family, yet at times things flow in a nice manner and you won't even expect the collision of such different worlds or how it could possibly affect everyone. But it does, with new things to come and some hidden secrets from the past.

It's an interesting and careful movie, with a fine slow pacing and heightened senses where the silent moments or even the simplicity of the dialogues work all very favorably to it, reaching out for a tense, nerve-wrecking experience that goes louder than bombs. It follows the tradition of many European films and some indies from Hollywood as well, where attention is required for everything that isn't spoken or the dialogues that seem to not express much (but they do).

This is the kind of movie that, for a brighter view of things and a richer understanding, should be seen at least twice. But it's so great that you won't bother going a second or a third time. It might frustrate some viewers since it doesn't answer all of the countless questions it raises, but on the other hand the way the story was composed it allows viewers in coming with their own theories and answers.

Markovicz is careful with all of her characters, their morals, needs and desires and how they all collide with each other. There's never an easy way out on this, and it's one of those films that throw the dilema back at us and there's no way to avoid such questionings. What would you do in a scenario like that? How do you protect your family from danger and how can you keep everything a secret?

Another great aspect from "Carvão" comes from the cast, with naturalistic and effective performances that one feels the reality of it all and not the experience of watching a movie. The highlight comes to Maeve Jinkings as the religiously devout, hard-working mother who doesn't think twice in accepting the risky proposal because she sees the reality of it all and the condition they're under. She's frightened but not with the mysterious man occupying the other bedroom. There's something more. And many of those solitary, reflective moments of Maeve just makes her one of the most interesting actresses to watch.

Hardly ever comes a movie this good and this incredible yet so under the radar of most audiences. I was thrilled through everything, loved the twists and turns, and that finale was simply mindblowing, very breathtaking and jawdropping. 10/10.

Layers and layers. An apparently simple story, a slow pace that can give a false sense that nothing is happening, and a sinister and always interesting atmosphere.

People who are the result of the society they are inserted in. Dreams go hand in hand with repressed desires. Corruption that takes the form of money but tells us much more about moral corruption, corruption of values that has become so natural that even a 9-year-old child doesn't blink an eye.

Impressive work by Carolina Markowicz in her directorial debut in a film she also wrote and developed characters in an incredible way. Not always an easy experience, but always worth it.