From Brazil, a masterful fable of memory and time

Mumbai, Oct 19 (IANS) Brazilian director Julia Murat, in one of the most nostalgic and yet riveting Latin American debuts ever, tells the fable of a place that time has forgotten. The dozen villagers in 'Stories Only Exist When Remembered' go about their daily routine with clockwork precision as much in reverence to their past as in wait for their inevitable future.

Time does come visiting the village in the form of a young female photographer who neither understands the place or its people, yet is curious enough to want to know.

'If I was old, I wouldn't do this film. It will be cliched then. I did this because for me today this is different and unique,' Julia told IANS at the Mumbai Film Festival.

'As a young person I need speed and the latent energy of a place like Rio or even Mumbai,' the 31-year-old admitted candidly.

Hence, her debut feature with its masterful command, not mere control of time and space, stuns you. With touches of eternity, this is indeed a sculpture, a portrait of time.

Julia paints the mythical landscape of a place where a few old people live and which is neither too nostalgic of the past nor needing any hope. They may seem in a sort of limbo but perhaps these handful old, forgotten villagers and their village, are the only ones who truly live. For isn't living about the present moment rather than the burdens of the past or anxiety of the future?

With unsentimental and poetic touches she paints life as it should be, unhurried, relaxed and sentient. Considering that in our structurally violent world today, this is extremely rare, 'Stories...' thus becomes a rare fable.

For some the film might be slow. But for those with a fertile imagination it has speed. Every single wrinkle on the faces of the characters, ever single crack on the wall, ever little rust on the iron in the village tells a million tales of times gone by, stories and histories of its people, both dead and alive and of the village. You have to be sensitive to hear these stories.

Unlike other filmmakers with a rich antecedent, Julia's candour stands out. She admits the role of her filmmaker mother, Lucia Murat, in shaping her cinematically.

'How many 12 year olds watch indie films with a gusto? I did,' she said, reminiscing about the time watching the best films from her country and the world.

Her cinematic mastery also comes from assisting her mother in almost every cinematic department: scriptwriting, direction, camera, editing etc.

Yet, while Lucia's films are political in nature, steaming from her experience as a journalist and activist against the dictatorship in Brazil between 1968-79 when she was arrested and tortured in prison, Julia's films are about life.

It is perhaps the poetry of life that Julia, born the year dictatorship ended in Brazil, is carrying on her mother's legacy and represents life just as her mother represented political strife around.

With her debut feature, Julia become a voice to watch out for.

( can be contacted at [email protected])

Copyright  IANS

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