Barren Lives

The northeast of Brazil, the drought country. Fabiano, his wife Sinha Vitoria, their two sons and their dog Baleia are on the move. There is no water, no work and nowhere in particular to go. They find work at a ranch; Fabiano will look after the animals. The wages are not paid, the accounts always come out short, and objecting is not possible. One day he meets a government man in town and ends up in jail. After a while the family sets off again. The narrative begins and ends in the same place. Nelson Pereira dos Santos directs. The source is Graciliano Ramos's novel. The film is counted among the founding works of Cinema Novo in Brazil, the current that in the early sixties set out to show social conditions directly. The photography rests on hard light; the drought is in the image itself, in bright frames without shadow. There is almost no music; in its place the creak of the ox cart is heard continuously, and that sound became the film's signature. Its most cited section is the death of the dog; the scene is held long and nothing is explained. The characters speak little; the narrative proceeds largely through looks and movement. It was shown at Cannes and had an effect on Brazilian cinema becoming known abroad. Who it is for: viewers who like Latin American cinema and social realist narratives. Who it is not for: the register is very heavy, the pace slow, and the film gives no relief anywhere.