Review | Corral, by Marcelo Brennand

“Corral” is a courageous work, without a doubt, and with many merits to be commended.

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It is not, or at least should not be, a secret for any Brazilian the functioning of the so-called "electoral corrals", a typical reality in a country where corruption, in this case manifested by the practice of buying votes, is still supported by the despair and lack of population.

This is the main theme covered in “Corral", from the principal Marcelo Brennand (who also signs the script, along with Fernando Honestko), presented to the public at the São Paulo International Film Festival and having been awarded two prizes (Best Actor, for Thomás Aquino, and Best Technical Artistic Contribution) at the 46th Ibero-American Film Festival in Huelva, Spain.

Chico Caixa (Thomás Aquino), is a former civil servant in Gravatá, who was fired after an attempt to expand the water supply to the poorest areas of the city. He is invited by attorney Joel (Rodrigo Garcia), an alleged “outsider” of politics, to join a slate that will face the city's two traditional parties (the Blues and the Reds), and thus defeat the mayor in municipal elections.

The pair uses the promise of the services of a water truck, responsible for supplying water to poor neighborhoods in the municipality (which suffer from water shortages) as a bargaining chip. After being elected, however, Chico Caixa finds himself used and stuck in the gears of a system that is already corrupt in its essence.

Collusion, vote-buying, voter skepticism, the protagonist's discovery of himself as part of yet another corrupt scheme, and the perception of the systemic quality of corruption are the main factors that establish the political drama directed by Brennand.

The theme is not strange to the director, who had already portrayed the (real) elections in Gravatá, Pernambuco, in the documentary “Door to door”, from 2008. “Corral” dialogues directly with our political reality, in a simple and very direct way. Although focused on the poor communities of a small municipality, the fictional Gravatá's political environment reflects the macrocosm of national politics, which is repeated throughout virtually the entire country.

It is impossible not to recognize Brazil in the virulent polarization of the small town, in the corruption of local politicians and in the promises made in the hope of gaining the population's trust. The symbolism of the opposing parties in Gravatá, with its representative colors (blue and red), although it is a recurrent symbolism in different parts of the world, brings an even greater degree of familiarity to the Brazilian viewer (perhaps even a little too obvious for some) . But perhaps this direct and literal aspect is precisely one of the questionable aspects of the film, as I will speak later.

The cast is competent at their work, and all the main characters deserve to be highlighted, like Rodrigo Garcia's Joel and his questionable morals; Vitorino by José Dumont, a veteran politician in the region and the greatest representative of corruption in the system, and Mariana, by Carla Salle, a great hope for local political renewal (although the character could be much better deepened, mainly due to his conquering aspect, in a work with mostly skeptical and conformist aspects in relation to politics)).

But the highlight goes to Thomas Áquino, who manages to bring identification to his character, with his laid-back and believable way of a man who tries to believe in the system until he is swallowed by it. Also worth mentioning is the use of the local population for the figuration of the work, bringing authenticity to the work.

The technical aspect is also worth mentioning, with a well-planned photograph that fluidly follows the movements through the city, as well as changes in vision plans with the intention of showing how the dichotomy between the two major parties divides the city.

The final sequences of the film are beautiful in the visual aspect and even clash with the rest of the work. “Corral” has a rhythm that gradually becomes more tense, which helps to hold the viewer's attention. There are many scenes involving fights and crowds, but the film does not approach the action, and such moments only help to give dynamism to the plot, not allowing it to become monotonous.

This ends up making up, in part, for the film's lack of subtlety, as there are no parallel plots or subplots in the script. This is his theme and it is covered from beginning to end, even in moments when space could be made for aspects that would bring truth and humanity to the characters. There are no metaphors to be found, everything is put directly, being a work in which the characters act in favor of the plot, not the other way around. Furthermore, the possibilities of a proper interpretation are almost nil for the spectator, with everything happening so clearly.

“Corral” is a courageous work, without a doubt, and with many merits to be commended. It is a critical and politicized work at a time when national cinema needs to be critical and politicized, and this objective it fulfills with praise, albeit with a somewhat conformist view of the topic addressed.

Furthermore, it is also a work with many artistic merits, mainly in the technical part and in the cast. Perhaps its only however is an overly linear narrative, with no other directions to look at, no other possibilities to interpret. In the end, maybe it's still an influence of Brennand's documentary verve into fiction. However, it is not something that makes “Corral” any less worthy of being seen.

By: Wallace William

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