TINTA BRUTA

Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon 2018 Brazil 118min brazilian s.-t.en.
Synopsis:
Porto Alegre, in the far southern tip of Brazil, acts as allegory in the darkly magnificent Tinta Bruta: like the protagonist, the glassy-eyed wallflower, Pedro (Shico Menegat), the city is depicted as aloof, yet teetering on the edge of sudden violence – all shadowy figures on balconies and tall buildings sinking into the sand. Most of the time, Pedro can only imbibe the city in 5-minute doses, just as he can barely stand to be around himself. His days and nights are spent in front of a webcam, performing in neon body paint for an audience keen on dictating his every sensual pose. When his trademark move is stolen by another performer (a warm, charismatic Bruno Fernandes), Pedro is thrust out of his online existence into a society that he feels has rejected him, and a city that seems bent on crushing his spirit. Tinta Bruta is a graphic and humane depiction of sexuality and sex work, which is at turns tender and shocking, slow burning and heart racing. Truly earning its moments of emotional devastation and elation, this film is a confident masterwork deserving of the widest possible recognition. – Michael Belcher