Se eu fosse vivo... vivia

Contagem, 1970s. The saturated 16mm colours and the Brazilian soul ballads on the soundtrack conjure up a romantic idyll, although otherworldly presences lurk. Gilberto and Jacira are young, (more or less) gifted, and Black. Fifty years later, they are a retired couple confronted by their declining health. Yet their everyday bickering remains a testament to the enduring vitality of their affection. When Jacira returns from the hospital, their whole universe begins to malfunction. In André Novais Oliveira’s filmography, the most ordinary of conversations have always inhabited the same planet as alien abductions. But when this lifelong partnership begins to fracture, a wormhole seems to tear through the film itself. The couple shares the frame, yet their gazes no longer meet: one looks, the other hides. The compositions grow uncanny; the music grows stranger. Gilberto has lost his way home and seemingly so has the film. SE EU FOSSE VIVO... VIVIA inhabits a galaxy far, far away from the standard orbit of contemporary cinema. This is a cinematic world of minor tones and minimal gestures. But there is always the possibility of discovering some distant constellation in the backyard or of turning some corner to encounter ancient ghosts. (Victor Guimarães)

André Novais Oliveira: UMA HOMENAGEM A ALUÍZIO NETTO (2004, K), FANTASMAS (2010, K), DOMINGO (2011, K), POUCO MAIS DE UM MÊS (2013, K), ELA VOLTA NA QUINTA (2014), QUINTAL (2015, K), TEMPORADA (2018), NOSSA MÃE ERA ATRIZ (2023, K), O DIA QUE TE CONHECI (2023), QUANDO AQUI (2024, K)