Three Latin American films, from Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela, have won some of the top prizes at the 56th edition of the Chicago International Film Festival: the Mexican film Things We Dare Not Do / Cosas que no hacemos by Bruno Santamaría won the Gold Hugo Award for Best Documentary in the International Competition and the Gold Q-Hugo in the Out-Look Competition; the Brazilian film Memory House / Casa de Antiguidades by João Paulo Miranda Maria was the winner of the Roger Ebert Award, and the Venezuelan film The Special / Especial by Ignacio Márquez was presented with the Silver Hugo in the New Directors Competition.
Things We Dare Not Do is set in the small town of El Roblito, where wild horses gallop through the streets and children roam nearby mangrove forests and life appears idyllic. But 16-year-old Ñoño has a secret that runs counter to the local culture defined by machismo; Ñoño loves to dress in women’s clothes. In this gorgeously photographed snapshot of rural Mexico, cinematographer-turned-director Santamaría reveals repression, violence, and beauty in equal measures and the exquisite story of an individual who bravely defies the gender norms of their society.
Set in southern Brazil—in a strange Austrian colony of sorts lost in time—Memory House, the debut feature by João Paulo Miranda Maria follows an indigenous-Black man, Cristovam, who has arrived from the north to take a job at a milk factory. In the face of unrelenting xenophobia and racism, he finds refuge in an abandoned house filled with art objects and folkloric memorabilia that connect him back to his roots. Soon, the mysterious relics start to provoke a metamorphosis within him. Endowed with a newfound sense of identity and power, Cristovam’s quiet forbearance turns to emboldened action—and tension mounts, building to a mythic, stunning conclusion. Rich, evocative photography and an unsettling tone envelop this uncanny tale that unmasks the social, racial, and political tensions facing Brazil today.
In the thoughtful and uplifting debut The Special, the profoundly charming Chuo is having to navigate the challenges of early adulthood with Down Syndrome. He feels a growing need for independence from his father José, who struggles to provide and care for his son as he grapples with demons past and the disappointments of dreams deferred. When Chuo lands a job at a small graphic design studio, he begins to find community and discover purpose and a sense of self. Long parted by an ocean of silence and shame, will father and son be able to fulfill the promise of Chuo’s dreams and build a common future?
The 56th edition of the Chicago International Film Festival took place October 14-25.
