How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman

Nelson Pereira dos Santos's 1971 Brazilian film is set in 1594. A French soldier falls into the hands of the Tupinambá and is set aside to be eaten at a cannibal ceremony; until his death he lives among them, works, takes up with a woman and learns their language. The film refuses to tell the colonial encounter from the European's point of view: most of the dialogue is in Tupi, the Indigenous people are not shown as primitive and the ridiculous figure is the Frenchman. The story keeps the hope of escape alive throughout while announcing its outcome from the start; the tension comes not from what will happen but from how he comes to accept it. The nudity was made an issue by the military government of the day and the film had trouble with censorship. The tone is ironic and humorous. Who it's for: viewers who like Brazilian cinema and criticism of colonialism. Who it's not for: anyone who would rather not approach cannibalism and a violent ending.