Red Carpet

Luiz Alberto Pereira's 2005 Brazilian film follows Quinzinho, living in the countryside of São Paulo, setting out to keep a promise to his son: to show him a Mazzaropi film. The family travels from town to town with their donkey, but the cinemas have closed one by one. The film was shot in black and white and deliberately imitates the aesthetic of Mazzaropi's own films; that is as much an account of loss as a tribute. The disappearance of cinema in the provinces and its replacement by television is at the centre. Matheus Nachtergaele's performance keeps the ridiculousness from becoming humiliation. The pace is slow and the episodes repeat. Who it's for: viewers interested in Brazilian cinema and films about cinema culture. Who it's not for: anyone wanting pace, or viewers who cannot follow the local cultural references.