Terra Estrangeira

‘Fernando Collor, the first democratically elected president after 30 years of military dictatorship, takes up office and announces a radical economic plan: the confiscation of all bank balances in Brazil. Due to this measure, 800,000 young Brazilians leave their country to try their luck elsewhere.’ Starting from a reference to the political situation in Brazil in March 1990, a universal psychological drama develops about uprootedness and the craving for happiness. Partly because of its form, Terra Estrangeira is strongly reminiscent of the early works of Jean-Luc Godard. Paco is the reluctantly studying son of a poor Spanish woman in São Paulo. She wants to return to Spain but Collor’s reforms throw a spanner in the works and the desperate woman commits suicide. Paco takes her place and leaves for Lisbon. He meets Alex there, a young woman of Brazilian origin, and gets mixed up in a shady and violent intrigue. Paco and Alex fall in love and flee to the Spanish border via the Portuguese coastal region. This tale of crimes is of minor importance, what counts is the emotional drama. This is aptly reflected by the desolate locations in São Paulo and the barren landscape. The subdued black and grey hues and the sad fado also make this film a stirring visual song about the unsatisfiable longing for happiness. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)