Synopsis
A family straining to care for their bedridden patriarch is offered a diabolical deal: to put their elder to rest and host an Argentinian drug kingpin in need of a place to hide.
Where to watch Charcoal
Set in a town in the countryside of São Paulo, Charcoal (2022), the first feature film by Carolina Markowicz (Tatuapé Mahal Tower, 2014, The Orphan, 2018), presents a group of characters who deal in different ways with geographical and social isolation, while lost in expectations and secrets.
An infinite amount of space surrounds the characters, but it’s the jumble of personal relationships that generates the distressing conflicts. Growing up in an interior town, the director carefully represents the rhythm of the passage of time in rural Brazil and the constant surveillance of other people’s lives by a community.
The film soon establishes its premise, which is disturbing enough to reverberate throughout its development. By putting Irene (Maeve Jinkings) in charge of something so inhumane, Carolina Markowicz has the challenge of humanizing this character so that the audience creates a real connection with her. It is the success of balancing this equation one of her greatest assets – which is no surprise, given that achieving the mundane and the humanity in characters is a talent of hers and a signature in previous works.
Apart from being isolated in the city, in the house, and in the bedroom, the characters seem abandoned by institutions. There is no representation of the unscrupulous politician, as in Bacurau (2019). When she seeks the priest’s help with a question, Irene returns empty-handed. When she realizes her abandonment and, consequently, the lack of supervision over her reality, she takes action and solves her problems on her own.
Eyes enter Irene’s house when they least expect it. There are no walls surrounding the house and the surveillance takes place through the omnipresence of the neighbors, who consider themselves almost part of the family, show up unannounced, without press coverage or an avalanche of supporters. They are hidden threats expressed through smooth talk in a provocative tone.
The external gaze in this microcosm happens through the new member included in the dynamics of the house who brings awareness to the family’s own condition and becomes a constant reminder of the situation that can be little remedied.
They choose the path of non-passiveness and end up finding themselves as part of a larger universe. As in Bacurau, what comes from outside bothers them and is rejected. In Carolina’s work, however, instead of closing themselves off back in that city, the family opens up to a universe interwoven with secrets, which they discover little by little, like someone who realizes that there is something beyond the blue and clouds in the sky. They are now part of this cruel and frightening world, even if they don’t fully understand it or have any idea of its scale, but that gives meaning to their existence.
Why we recommend it
It’s hard to remain reactionless to the suggestion made by the nurse played by Aline Marta Maia at the very beginning of the movie, something at the same time as unthinkable as possible, which makes us want to follow the consequences of this dark act throughout the story. The subtle tension between Maeve Jinkings’ and Camila Márdila’s characters is unnerving and their talent grows when they meet on screen.
Credits
- Original title: Carvão
- Rating: 18
- Genre: Drama
- Runtime: 1h 47 min
- Release year: 2022
- Country: Brazil / Argentina
- Production companies: Cinematográfica Superfilmes / Biônica Filmes (coprodução) / Ajimolido Films (coprodução)
- Distributor: Pandora Filmes
- Director: Carolina Markowics
- Producer: Zita Carvalhosa / Coprodução: Karen Castanho, Alejandro Israel
- Writer: Carolina Markowics
- Cast: Maeve Jinkings, César Bordón, Jean Costa, Camila Márdila, Romulo Braga, Pedro Wagner, Aline Marta Maia
- Casting: Bruno Alfano
- Cinematography: Pepe Mendes
- Production design: Marines Mencio, Natalia Krieger
- Costume design: Gabi Pinesso
- Makeup department: Mari Figueiredo
- Sound design: Diego Martinez, Filipe Derado
- Editing: Lautaro Colace
- VFX: Mauro Garcia
