Neon Bull

Wild, sensual and utterly transporting, Brazilian writer-director Gabriel Mascaro’s second fiction feature unfolds within the world of the vaquejada, a traditional exhibition sport in which cowboys try to pull bulls to the ground by their tails. Neon Bull explores the vaquejada through the eyes of Iremar, a handsome cowboy who works the events. While he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, Iremar’s real dream is to design exotic outfits for dancers…

Mascaro’s new film, The Blue Trail, won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival this year and is featured in VIFF.

The astonishing second feature by the Brazilian documentarian director Gabriel Mascaro, is a movie about animal smells. An intoxicating reflection on the interconnection of taste, scent, instinct and desire, the film, gorgeously photographed by Diego Garcia (Cemetery of Splendour), immerses you in the intensely pungent world of vaquejada…Neon Bull is a profound reflection on the intersection of the human and bestial. Throughout the film, the line between human and animal behavior is blurred. Sex is always in the air. But without much fuss, Neon Bull exalts carnal passion in beautiful, almost sculptural love scenes filmed from a middle distance.

Stephen Holden, New York Times

Mascaro’s vibrant depiction of Brazilian cowhands delivers a detailed look at a nomadic universe that’s simultaneously flamboyant and gritty. Lyrically involving and deeply sensual, Neon Bull showcases a full-bodied artist in command of his form… [It] provides a striking response to questions surrounding the precise nature of the movies. It’s a cinematic achievement that works on its own terms, beyond any semblance of marketplace pressure, and speaks to the unique power of the medium. Mascaro offers a window into a world that not only promises an original milieu, but invites viewers to become a part of it.

Eric Kohn, Indiewire

Stately, earthy, graphic, riveting… almost always beautiful.

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice