QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM TALLINN

Fernando Coimbra’s third fiction feature, after 2013’s Wolf at the Door and 2017’s Sand Castle, takes place in the hills of Rio de Janeiro, and it’s soaked in blood and underworld violence. Just don’t expect another City of God (Fernando Meirelles, 2002). This time, it’s the white and rich who live on the hillside. And instead of drugs, the criminals deal with the animal game (jogo do bicho), a type of illegal lottery widespread on Brazilian soil. The level of corruption and disregard for life, however, remains roughly the same. As do the breathtaking views of the Sugarloaf Mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the neighbouring Guanabara Bay.

Valerio (Irandhir Santos) is married to Regina (Leandra Leal). They live on a penthouse overlooking the Marvellous City, surrounded by the towering Tijuca trees (the largest urban forest in the world). Despite the astounding setting, their routine is far from relaxed and beautiful. Valerio works for an animal game syndicate with his uncle (Stepan Nercessian). His father committed suicide a year earlier, but Valerio suspects that his uncle (his father’s surviving twin brother) may have assassinated his parent. The couple finds satisfaction mostly in sex and power games. Their favourite fetish is robbery-rape role play: Valerio dons a balaclava as he holds a knife firmly againsr Regina’s throat, occasionally causing her some real-life injuries. Mistrust and disturbing sexual behaviour prevail.

It isn’t just the unorthodox lovebirds that boast some rather rotten ways. In Carnival is Over, just about everyone and every institution is unreliable and corrupt: the family, the syndicates, the gangsters, the police, the prosecutors, the bodyguard, the mother and even the cards. Regina’s mum (hilariously played by Irene Ravache) reads to her daughter the tarot revelations that suit her agenda. In fact, the old woman boasts her ruthlessness. The future belongs to those prepare to play their cards right. This is an environment where just anything can be negotiated. The currency is a dagger, a loaded weapon, or sometimes just a little swagger and malice. In this universe of flat characters, the moral virtues are few and the ambitions manifold. Everybody is equally rotten.

This is a movie with strong production values. Thumping renovation noises are combined with samba school drumming in order to craft an atmosphere of oppression. Minimalistic Brazilians beats and a frenzied saxophone add a dash of eeriness to the dodgy proceedings. Ulisses Malta Jr’s gloomy photography (with just the right amount of tropical golden) also contributes to the feeling of fear and claustrophobia. There are some moments of masterful montage and framing. They include a face-off between Regina and a carnival statue in the movie’s first minutes, as well as car shooting scene filmed mostly from inside the vehicle (Regina panics and then flees after someone repeatedly fires at the driver’s window).

Santos delivers the most credible and also the most riveting performance. Leal’s character is loud and sombre. Both are veteran Brazilian thespians. The Brazilian actress has a hypnotic gaze, yet she lacks the emotional weight required for a genuine femme fatale. Her character slips into paranoia territory. The house becomes increasingly oppressive and even threatening. The walls harbour dirty and dark secrets. It is at such moments that the story flirts with horror tropes. Things improve after Regina rekindles the macabre sex game. Phew! Neo-noir meets meets suspense/horror meets psychosexual thriller, with a subtle touch of comedy. And an intentionally preposterous ending. Very ambitious, if a little muddled in tone.

Inevitable comparisons to Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather (1972) and Takeshi Kitano’s Boiling Point (1990) become inevitable. Yet this is neither the Italian mafia nor the Japanese yakuza, but the far less less-known animal game gang. Multiple murders and unbridled capitalistic greed also bring Parasite (Bong Jong-hoo, 2019) to mind. Still, this is an entirely different beast. An animal, even. The problem is the Brazilian animal game is uncharted territory to foreign audiences. The 48-year-old director (who also penned the film script) attempts to fix this by opening the movie with a brief description of the practice, as well a plot overview. This unfortunate narrative device only serves to cause confusion. Nobody memorises the names of multiple characters, and grasp a mysterious new game, in just a few seconds. Despite the relatively extensive duration of 125 minutes, little effort is made to elucidate the dynamics of the game, its connection to the samba schools, and its relevance to Brazilian crime and culture.

Carnival is Over had its European premiere in the Best of Festivals section of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival two months earlier. Despite its jumbled premise, this is a movie with a lot to be enjoyed. It is guaranteed to please fans of Narcos.