Barravento

In BARRAVENTO, Brazilian director Glauber Rocha tells the story of poor fishermen in the village of Bahia. Whatever they catch in a day, they sell for next to nothing to a boss who comes down from the city. Firmino is a farmer who has returned from the city after several years. He tries to teach the fishermen why they stay poor and wants to free them from mysticism, which he considers to be a tool of political and social repression. In his conviction to save the village from poverty, he comes up against superstition. The village chief Aruã, who is consecrated to Yemanjá, the patron saint of the sea, is led down a bad path by Firmino, with tragic consequences.

Rocha was one of the founding fathers of the Cinéma Nôvo, a film movement that brought new life to the Brazilian cinema of the sixties and addresses the socio-economic problems in Brazil. BARRAVENTO is one of the most important films of the Cinéma Nôvo movement. Rocha’s work is influenced by the folktales and traditions of Brazil, often combined with extensive research and political activism.

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