Volta ao Longe (2005)

A three-part film.

The first part, which is the longest, is a trip through a market (Ver-o-peso : »see-the-weight») in Belem, in the State of Para. Wandering through the different places occupied by this market on the banks of the Amazon : antique stores, a fish market, the sellers of fresh Açai and fruit pulp, a multitude of activities spread out in a constant flux of sounds and colors that the camera discovers without however becoming weighed down by them, as if the movements, the rhythm of walking as much as the length of the travel necessitated this tension between travel and seeing.

The second part of the film takes place on an interstate highway which goes from Belem to Brazilia. Suddenly, traffic stops : a group of protesters block the road, no one can get away. These families have lived there for more than 30 years and they are on the verge of expulsion because of the enlargement of a plantation.

Tires are burnt on the highway, it's more than 85 degrees. We get approach asking questions, going back and forth around the barrier. After an hour or two, the group decides after deliberation to put off its final decision until the 18th of September, the day of judgements and to break camp. We set off again.

The third part consists of a shot on the patio of a sorveteria (a kind of ice cream parlor) at the end of hot day, at the edge of a road parallel to the interstate which goes from the north to the south of Brazil. The light changes, activities enter a new phase, things slow down a bit. We take the time to watch, to observe a travelling meat seller. Nearby, there is some dried meat. People pass by, while cars with loudspeakers touting political candidates make themselves heard. A moment of respite, after all this activity, a respite at the edge of night.