Synopsis
In Natal, on the Brazilian north coast, the country is preparing to launch its first manned space rocket into space. A couple lives with their two children near the space centre, she is a cleaner and he is a mechanic, but she dreams of other horizons.
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The plot of “Sideral” originally belonged to a project by director Carlos Segundo consisting of short stories. The project didn’t happen, but Segundo knew that a story set in a timeless future, where the lives of a couple and their children are affected by a historic event for Brazil, had the potential to be turned into a short film.
The glimpse of an undated event in Brazil is spot on. For example, the scene where the co-workers in a mechanic’s workshop follow the spaceship launch over beers and snacks seems to have come from a World Cup match day. This portrait of everyday life only prepares the ground for the final twist, when the fate of the mother of a family who decides to escape the planet by hiding in a spaceship is revealed. The fact itself turns out to be as surreal as how it’s told to us, through two soldiers sitting on the sofa in the family home.
The government’s neglect of the family and the woman now trapped (and freed) in a spaceship is the source of the tragicomedy pursued by the director, who has a predilection for creating situations where we don’t know exactly what is going to strike us. Taking these ordinary situations to an extreme is also a way for the director to keep his films between the authorial and the mainstream, attracting audiences while telling a story full of nuances.
The short film is one of those works where everything functions so well that it ends up seeming very simple. The premise, set against the backdrop of science fiction, is unusual enough to attract curiosity. When a family conflict is placed at the center of the narrative, the situation becomes more realistic and absurd at the same time, a perfect chemistry that effortlessly justifies the film’s run at festivals.
Why we recommend it
An everyday family drama seasoned with science fiction, the short film knows just the right moment to flip everything upside down with impact, humor and absurdity.
Credits
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 15 min
• Format: Curta-metragem / Ficção
• Genres: Drama, Comédia, Ficção Científica
• Countries: Brasil, França
• Language: Português-Brasileiro
• Production Companies: Casa da Praia, O Sopro do Tempo, Les Valseurs
• Distributors: Les Valseurs
• Director and Writer: Carlos Segundo
• First Director Assistant: Pedro Fiuza, Luiza Oest
• Cast: Priscilla Vilela, Enio Cavalcante, Fernanda Cunha, Matheus Brito, George Holanda, Matteus Cardoso e Robson Medeiros
• Voiced by: Henrique Fontes and Ednaldo Martins
• Producers: Mariana Hardi, Pedro Fiuza, Damien Megherbi e Justin Pechberty
• Executive Producers: Mariana Hardi, Damien Megherbi, Justin Pechberty
• Production Management: Mariana Hardi
• Cinematography: Carlos Segundo e Julio Schwantz
• Production Design: Ana Paola Ottoni
• Costume Design: Rosângela Dantas
• Editing: Carlos Segundo e Jérôme Bréau
• Color grader: Caïque De Souza
• Sound: Miguel Sampaio
• Sound Design: Antoine Bertucci
• Music: Jérôme Rossi
• Foley: Didier Falk
• Special Effects: Jeff Essoki
• Mix: Vincent Arnardi
