LANDSCAPES OF MEMORY (O SERTÃO DAS MEMÓRIAS) World Cinema

“Araujo’s debut feature
crystallizes the raw materials of his
native Sertao (Brazil’s drought-ndden
northeast) into an allegory so riveting
it resembles cinema verite made by an
all-seeing god. In the film’s mythic
present, (a) heroic pair manage to
evade the nefarious ‘dragon’ and reach
the promised land … (the film) etches a
spiritual x-ray of northeastern Braz!]
onto our retinas with black-and-white
clarity. Part religious allegory, part ,, political history, part autob10graphy …
-B. Ruby Rich