When filmmakers try to create movies for children based in Brazil (or anywhere in the global south), they walk a precarious tight-rope. If you run with the stereotypes of Brazil’s poverty, ecological exploitation or crime you risk offending and alienating the host population and reinforcing unhelpful perspectives in the global north. If you stick to the “positive” stereotypes of samba, football, bbq and beach you make it seem that Brazil has nothing else to offer. Equally, if you avoid all stereotypes you aren’t left with anything to hang your coat on and the version of Brazil depicted on screen is so sterile that it bears no resemblance to reality.
Fortunately, in the recent animated film Rio, the filmmakers have successfully negotiated the tight-rope. It helps that the Director Carlos Saldanha is a Brazilian himself. Brazilians (like Brits for that matter!) can accept criticism if it comes from within and isn’t levelled from overseas. Saldanha doesn’t shirk the nasty realities of life in Brazil – the film opens with the illegal capture of tropical birds in Brazil for a Western market and the plot incorporates a young homeless orphan living in a favela. At other times, Saldanha uses humorous plot devices to make his point – clueless tourists are robbed of their money and jewellery but the criminals in this instance are monkeys, not gangs or pickpockets. A samba girl on Copacabana beach turns out to be a dentist. At times, Saldanha subtly turns the tables on stereotypes. Tulio (voiced by Rodrigo Santoro) is the most educated person in the film – and he’s a Brazilian. Equally, his American counterpart, small-town girl Linda seems somewhat uneducated and uninformed about the tropical bird in her care.
So what about the film itself? The animated adventure is highly entertaining and my wife, a Brazilian, was crying with laughter in parts. Having been to Rio briefly, it was a lot of fun to see the city animated so beautifully and, at times, tenderly. Besides the Brazilian connection, Rio has a sharp script and glowing characters, particularly among the birds. The film is a credit to Brazil and another example of how this country’s stock continues to rise in the world.
Now, to see what Pixar do with their Brazilian character Carla Veloso in the upcoming Cars 2!
Have you seen a film with scenes set on location in Brazil – for example, Hulk or Fast and Furious: Rio Heist? What did you think of how Brazil was portrayed?
