Neon Bull (SFF Review)

There's a lot to say about this Brazilian film that you'll probably never see (and for a good reason - it's essentially unmarketable). I don't know if it's female lead giving herself a Brazilian. I don't know if it's the sex between a man and pregnant woman that gives 'Blue is the Warmest Colour' a run for its money in terms of length, of which i'm sure at least three people walked out of or shortly after. Or even better yet, a scene that if I typed up on the internet would have me and everyone who reads this on some sort of government watch-list.

One film that Neon Bull reminded me of was Jim Jarmusch's 'Stranger Than Paradise'. This was because most scenes were done in one long take. However the movie has a different tone and aesthetic. Where 'Stranger Than Paradise' is a movie about three friends and is a balance between drama and comedy, 'Neon Bull' is about a makeshift family that poetically witnesses the characters.

The film follows a group of bull herders and one of their daughters. Their respective performances were minimalist, the film lacked any scenes of great emotional conflict. Director, Gabriel Mascaro shows scenes that carry more emotion at the beginning of the film. This tells us more about the characters straight away, that way we aren't discovering them for almost two hours. It means we know who they, what they feel and more from the beginning and we as an audience find it easier to follow the story later on as we know the characters so deeply already.

The male lead, Iremar, is played by Juliano Cazarré and he seems to the leader of our small group. He has ambitions to be a clothes designer and in several scenes we see him design clothes, whether that be on a mannequin or on a borrowed and used (and I mean used) porn magazine. The female lead, Galega, is played by Maeve Jinkings and she's essentially the mother of the of the group of herders, even if she is more of a hillbilly. The third main character is Galega's daughter, Caca, played by Alyne Santana.

Galega has to raise Caca by herself since their dad apparently left. However she isn't doing it all herself, or a great job too. Other members of the group often give her lessons, hugs, etc. when she needs it. We can see that she doesn't get a long well because she take more of a liking to horses. This fits with the whole movie that Mascaro has presented here. Characters have relationships with their friends and family but they're all stuck, not being able to progress.

As the title and poster hints at, there are plenty of scenes with a great use of colour but don't go in expecting too many of these scenes as more scenes are monochromatic. This isn't exactly a criticism as it reflects character quite well.

Neon Bull is a film that if you see, is one you won't forget if you have the patients for many slow moving scenes. Mascaro has combined great minimalist performances and subtle directing to create an essential film for any art-house goer.

Overall Score: 9/10

Neon Bull has one more session at Sydney Film Festival, but it's selling fast. (The session is on Friday, 17th of June, 8:45 PM at Dendy Opera Quays.