Bacurau
Bacurau

Movie spotlight

Bacurau

2019
Movie
131 min
Portuguese

Bacurau, a small town in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants notice that their community has vanished from most maps.

Insights

IMDb6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes86%
Metacritic75/100
Google Users80%
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano DornellesGenres: Western, Mystery, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Drama

Plot Summary

In the near future, a small, remote village in the Brazilian sertão, Bacurau, mysteriously disappears from maps. The community, already struggling with dwindling resources and water, is soon targeted by a group of foreign mercenaries who begin to systematically hunt down the villagers. As the attacks escalate, the resilient inhabitants must band together to defend their home and expose the disturbing truth behind the massacre.

Critical Reception

Bacurau was met with widespread critical acclaim, lauded for its bold genre-bending narrative, sharp social commentary, and visually striking presentation. Critics praised its ability to blend elements of the western, horror, and science fiction to create a unique and thought-provoking cinematic experience that resonated with audiences for its themes of resistance and cultural identity.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its audacious blend of genres and potent political allegory.

  • Cited for its stunning visuals and compelling depiction of community resistance.

  • Noted as a challenging but rewarding film that sparks important conversations.

Google audience: Google users largely appreciated Bacurau's originality and its strong message about protecting one's community against external threats. Many enjoyed the film's suspenseful nature and its unique narrative, although some found its violence and surreal elements to be unsettling.

Awards & Accolades

Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2021 Satellite Awards.

Fun Fact

The distinctive 'Bacurau' village in the film was a purpose-built set constructed in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, designed to evoke a sense of timelessness and isolation.

AI-generated overview · Verify ratings on official sources

My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
tmdb28039023

tmdb28039023

With over 200 credits on his résumé — often as a vampire or vampire-adjacent —, revered German actor Udo Kier has appeared in some very good films as well as some very bad ones; Bacurau, a retarded A Sound of Thunder/The Most Dangerous Game...

Leno

Leno

A masterpiece. This movie is a very faithful on how the remote Brazilian regions look like, and a very smart and realistic dystopian future movie, a genre that is very rarely well executed in Brazilian movies.