By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.3 cats
Director: Maya Da-Rin
Starring: Anunciata Teles Soares | Edmildo Vaz Pimentel | Johnatan Sodré | Regis Myrupu | Rosa Peixoto
Original language title: A Febre
Country: brazil, france, germany
Year: 2021
Running time: 98
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10603466/reference
Diane says: “Brazilian feature THE FEVER is subtle. I kept expecting it to develop propulsive plot threads (a murder!, a heist!), but the joke was on me. FEVER holds true to its quiet, almost mystical tone. Justino, father of two adult children, has long since moved out of his village in the rainforest to make a living in Manaus, a huge city and port. When his daughter is ready to leave home herself, he develops a mysterious fever. Director Maya Da-Rin subtly delves into the conflict between nature and industry, the impact of global trade, anti-indigenous racism, and the loss of indigenous traditions, folklore, and medicine. Great metaphors leave room for great discussion.
“I’ll have noms for acting (lead Regis Myrupu), cinematography (many night scenes with -just- enough light), and screenplay. And, if we have such a category next year, sound design: the loud buzzing of insects and the movement of animals in the forest contrast with the clang of shipping containers and roar of highway traffic. 5 cats.”
Michael responds: “Great review, Diane. I was quite taken with THE FEVER as well. It was vaguely reminiscent of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s TROPICAL MALADY, characters living near the rainforest and becoming afflicted with a mysterious fever, but for very different reasons. I’ve really been enjoying this recent spate of films focusing on indigenous peoples and how they are being displaced, or moving to more industrialized cities for work, and the effect it has on some of them. There’s a bit of a generational aspect going on as well, as Justino’s adult children don’t seem to be as impacted by the displacement.
I will also be nominating the cinematography… quite stunning, and possibly editing as well. Myrupu is definite a best actor candidate, and I would also make note of Rosa Peixoto who plays Vanessa, Justino’s daughter. I will be keeping director Maya Da-Rin in mind as well. In fact, I will even follow Diane’s lead and give THE FEVER 5 cats!”
Bob says: “Justino, an indigenous man who works as a security guard at a cargo port in Manaus, Brazil, lives with his daughter, who has just been offered a scholarship at a medical school and will soon be moving to Brasilia.
“Justino tries to be stoic about the boredom of his job, but his employers have noticed some problems with his performance and he’s put on warning. He contracts a fever (which he tries to ignore), and needs to take a little time off. Meanwhile, he keeps noticing an odd sound in the woods near his bus stop on the way home, and this seems to be connected to talk of a wild animal in the area. Are all of these things connected? I don’t think so, but it isn’t made clear.
“There’s a considerable amount of casual racism experienced by Justino and his family. A coworker seems to think ‘Indian’ is a pleasant nickname, and makes jokes about the shape of his eyes. Justino is stoic about this as well, but when he’s alone with family, he’s pretty critical of whites and their culture too.
“Clearly, the film is dealing, in its quiet way, with race, colonialism, capitalism, class… but beyond the obvious message that people become alienated and their lives aren’t valued, I’m not sure what the message is. Maybe we don’t need more than that feeling of alienation to get the idea.”
Brett says: “More storytelling like this through the camera lens and not solely reliant on the mouths of actors please. Herein lies pacing that’s deliberate and consistent, which layers nicely with the notes from the dirge of crickets harmonizing with machinery at work and a melancholy forest choir on display in other sections of the film. The title fever comes and goes, like the ebb and flow of wry, unfazed reactions in the face of modernity outside the home juxtaposed against comfort and self-assuredness that lives within the home. Still, the antagonism of modernity creeps in through cracks in the home’s foundation, bringing bouts of fever with it. Full of imagery and symbolism, THE FEVER strikes a clever balance of audience accessibility and bewilderment. 3 cats out of 5“