In a near-future Brazil, elderly citizens are forcibly relocated to live out the rest of their days in a senior housing colony once they hit 80. When the age cutoff is suddenly lowered, 77-year-old Tereza (Denise Weinberg) learns that she has just days before she’s to be taken away from her job, home, and family. Desperate to fulfill a lifelong dream of flying in a plane, she resolves to travel through the Amazon — a decision that places her in contact with a lonely riverboat smuggler and a mysterious snail whose “blue drool” has the power to reveal one’s future.
Recalling the 1958 Japanese classic The Ballad of Narayama as well as Chie Hayakawa’s recent Plan 75 (VIFF 2022), the latest from Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro is a timely, incisive treatment of ageism and authoritarianism. Richly conceived, lushly photographed, and filled with mordant humour, the film is a fantastical odyssey not soon forgotten.
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, Berlinale 2025
Community Partner
Denise Weinberg, Rodrigo Santoro, Miriam Socorrás, Adanilo
Brazil/Mexico/
Chile/Netherlands
2025
In Portuguese with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Producer
Rachel Daisy Ellis, Sandino Saravia Vinay
Screenwriter
Gabriel Mascaro, Tibério Azul
Cinematography
Guillermo Garza
Editor
Sebastían Sepúlveda, Omar Guzmán
Original Music
Memo Guerra
Art Director
Dayse Barreto
Gabriel Mascaro
Gabriel Mascaro, born 1983, is a Brazilian director and screenwriter based in Recife, Brazil. Best known for his films Neon Bull (Venice, 2015), Divine Love (Sundance, 2019) and August Winds (Locarno, 2014), Mascaro’s films have garnered over 50 international awards. Neon Bull was named one of the New York Times’ Top 10 Best Films of 2016, and that same year, Mascaro had a retrospective at the Lincoln Center in New York. His latest film, The Blue Trail, premiered in Competition at Berlinale 2025.
Filmography: Housemaids (2012); August Winds (2014); Neon Bull (2015); Divine Love (2019)
Photo by Guillermo Garza
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.
An American Werewolf in London
Two American students get into a spot of bother with the wildlife in rural England. Then they introduce the virus to the big city... John Landis's goofy horror comedy is a very good night out. So long as it's not a full moon...
