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BEHIND THE SUN Send This Review to a Friend
Director Walter Salles, who made the superb "Central Station," has come up with another striking film, again with Arthur Cohn as producer. From the film's early moments the story set in the interior of Brazil and involving generations of feuding families begins to cast its spell. By the time the tale reaches its climax it has succeeded not only in dramatizing a specific rural situation but it stands as an allegory suggesting the conflicts that rage on through the years but need to be broken in order to achieve peace. It could, for example, be symbolic of the Israeli-Palestinian warfare in the Mid-East.
Strangely, the story is based on the book "Broken April" by Albanian writer Ismail Kadare, whose tale was set in Albania. However, its inherent universality makes the geographical switch believable as we follow the bloody feud between two warring families over possession of land. The tradition is that each time a member of one family is killed a member of the other family must avenge the killing by claiming yet another life. Salles and co-screenwriters Sergio Machado and Karim Ainouz wrote the adaptation.
With the aid of the affecting cinematography of Walter Carvalho, there is an aura of beauty to the drama even while the stark, emotionally charged events take place. Essentially, the film is a story of the affection between a younger brother and older brother, as well as of the feuding families. It is also a story of sacrifice born out of brotherly love and a commitment to duty and loyalty. Like a Greek tragedy, there is a sense of the inevitable loss that must occur before the cycle of hate and revenge can be broken.
The performances are convincing and captivating. Ravi Ramos Lacerda as the younger brother Pacu, from whose vantage point the story unfolds, is poignant as the stoic youth representing hope for the future and fulfillment of dreams beyond the rigors of farm life and all-embracing family matters that dominate everything. Rodrigo Santoro is stalwart as the older brother Tonho, who stands ready to kill in the name of family tradition and honor. The supporting cast members, from appearance to demeanor, help make the setting and the tension-filled situations believable and riveting. A Miramax Films release.
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