Chicago Latino Film Festival
Short 35-millimeter films from Spain, Brazil, and the U.S. (Water Tower, 6:30)
Do–a Barbara
Widely regarded as the first major film by Glauber Rocha, one of the key figures of the cinema nuovo, this exciting 1964 Brazilian feature draws on myth and folklore in exploring the sertao in 1940. Both this and the other Rocha film showing at the festival, Land in Anguish, are strongly recommended. (JR) (Facets Multimedia Center, 9:00)
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Part allegory, part cautionary tale, this rich, extremely dark 1998 satire chronicles, in nine enigmatic parables, the changes sweeping a millennial cult in a remote corner of Mexico after the decline and death of its charismatic leader, Mama Dorita. At first the group falls under the sway of Dorita’s life partner, an eccentric old man who looks to Hollywood biblical epics for guidance, but his influence wanes as an opportunistic, streetwise urchin takes control. Along the way director Arturo Ripstein provides glimpses into the daily life of this utopian society gone awry, where women dress and act like Mary Magdalene and men appear as either Roman soldiers or robed Israelites. But most remarkable is his grace in balancing a fascinating story packed with interesting characters against much deeper questions: who we believe, what we believe, and why. (JH) The Spanish title is El evangelio de las maravillas. (Water Tower, 9:00)
The Rats
Short films one
