THE CALL OF THE OBOE (O TOQUE DO OBOÉ) Latin Cinema Series

A fable about life and death that celebrates rebirth through art, THE CALL OF THE OBOE is the story of a fatally ill Brazilian musician who chooses a forsaken village as his final resting place. Following an impromptu musical performance in the town square, the owner of an abandoned local cinema invites him to perform there, resulting in a revival of both the cinema and the town. Youthful love blooms, the telephone operator contacts God and a centenarian man comes back to life. Meanwhile, the theater owner and the musician find themselves in a gentle but intoxicating romance.

Director Claudio MacDowell describes his poignant film as “neo-poetic realism,” a mixture of two traditions of popular culture in the 20th century: “I think it bears a tenderness for the characters that’s typical of neo-realism and the combination of magical elements to everyday life characteristic of poetic realism.