Ery Claver / 2022 / Angola / Drama / 98 min / Portuguese, English, Mandarin
Around a sacred plastic object manufactured in China, which a Chinese merchant brings to a neighborhood in Luanda, Angola, the characters develop. A chain of events is set in motion. A grieving mother, longing for peace, embarks on a journey. A hairdresser initiates a new cult. A young man seeks revENGe for his lost friend. With poetic phrases in Mandarin, the merchant describes what we see but also that which is beyond the visible.
In his debut as a feature film director, Ery Claver tells a surreal urban saga with elements of magical realism—a simultaneously mysterious and precise depiction of a city and its inhabitants. It is a parallel post- and neocolonial narrative but also a meeting place for different cultures and experiences. The film is produced by the collective Geraçao 80.
We end the movie with a Q&A.
