Director(s): Toni Venturi
Writer(s): Fernando Bonassi, Victor Navas
Actor(s): Leonardo Medeiros, Débora Duboc, Jonas Bloch, Michel Bercovitch
Production Co.: Europa Filmes
Country: Brazil
Year: 2005
Language and subtitle information: In Portuguese; optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles
Format: DVD
[ratings]
Summary: A revolutionary, fighting against dictatorship in Brazil, is wounded in a gun-fight with the police and is isolated in another man’s apartment, where he meets a young woman who will change his life.
Supplemental Materials:
The film, Cabra-cega, follows two young Brazilian revolutionaries during the “Anos de Chumbo” of the military dictatorship. The protagonist, Tiago, is hiding from the police and the other main character, Rosa, is is only contact to the outside world. As time passes, Rosa challenges Tiago, who learns much from her. The two end up lovers. This movie, uses an unconventional love story as a vehicle to examine greater topics like power, Brazilian society, friendship, trust, and integrity. Though the subject is not innovative, the Director finds a new way to approach the topic, which makes the film interesting.
When I first started watching this movie, I was a bit worried it would turn out to be simply another film about the Brazilian Military Dictatorship. Don’t get me wrong, I think films about this horrifying period of Brazil’s history are extremely important and the more material and thus awareness the better, but I was itching for something unique. “Cabra Cega” provided just that. It explores the hiding period of a “subversive” who has been imprisoned and tortured already but has managed to free himself. He is by no means out of safety yet however, and he locks himself inside an apartment building day and night. His only human contact is with a woman named Rosa who comes to the apartment each day to cook and clean and assist. They develop a romantic relationship and she helps him gather strength and climb out of a clearly traumatized state of depression and paranoia mixed with fear. Overall, just a really cool movie that explores human to human interaction/connection/love in the darkest of times. This time love and sex prevails between a pair of individuals who are deemed powerless by society during the dictatorship. A relationship between two lovers, however fosters a newfound strength to combat what they feel is wrong. If they die, they want to die fighting for something they believe in – freedom and the fall of an oppressive government.
The film follows Thiago, a revolutionary who was wounded during an encounter. Following his injury, Thiago is forced to remain in hiding in an apartment of a sympathizer. Weary of the outside world, Thiago spends his day avoiding windows, knocks on doors, and neighbors. Set during the military dictatorship, Cabra-cega starts off as an unlikely love story – until Rosa comes into the picture. Rosa is Thiago’s only contact to the outside world and after time the two become lovers. With Rosa’s assistance, Thiago is able to slowly come out of a dark place. Their relationship helps address issues of loyalty, trust, understanding, patience, and perseverance. It is not so much about the intimate contact between the two but rather what human interactions can produce/provide during trying times.
“Cabra-cega follows the story of young anti-war activists, Tiago and Rosa, during the years of Brazil’s military dictatorship. The two meet a as a result of his having to stay confined to an apartment following escape from capture. Rosa is his only contact to the outside world; in essence, she is his guide to the unknown. It is interesting to note that “Cabra-cega” is a game in which one blindfolded player must guess the location of and then reach for other players. Whoever is touched must then be blindfolded. The title of the film clearly represents the love that forms between the two protagonists, as Rosa helps save Tiago from the hopelessness of the time. The movie does a fine job of portraying the perseverance of love during difficult periods, like the military dictatorship.