By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Carolina Markowicz
Starring: Aline Marta Maia | César Bordón | Jean de Almeida Costa | Maeve Jinkings | Rômulo Braga
Original language title: Carvão
Year: 2023
Running time: 107
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21637282/reference/
Brett says: “A kitchen sink drama that cuddles up with SCARFACE? Count me in. CHARCOAL is an anomalous genre bender out of Brazil that is part Tennessee ‘Joanópolis’ Williams and part Mario ‘CV’ Puzo.
“Irene and Jairo are wife and husband in rural Brazil scraping by, trying to earn money by burning wood for charcoal and selling homemade country cooking. On top of that, death stares them in the face as Irene’s soon-to-be 89-year old father endures constant misery as the result of a stroke that has left him non-responsive and reliant on oxygen. All the while, their 9-year old son Jean presents another set of challenges for the duo, bringing his own brand of mischief to the equation.
“The exposition of this story takes a turn once a new caretaker, Juracy, shows up to aid with Irene’s father. But, the aid quickly becomes a situation where Juracy, ahem, makes them an offer they can’t refuse. An unlikely converging plot line commences in which a drug lord must relocate and become invisible, and the countryside family’s new wrinkle becomes turning their unassuming abode into an AirBnB for Brazil’s version of Tony Montana.
“If this sounds off-the-rails, don’t worry; the satire part of it all quickly becomes evident, though the film still plays out rife with family and community drama rooted in realism, thus the genre-bending aspects referenced earlier so marvelously fused by director Carolina Markowicz. Not long ago, a head-scratching blend of awkward satirical laughs, class differences, and suspense reared its head with the film PARASITE, and it wouldn’t be unfair to call this a South American cousin to that film, although CHARCOAL most definitely distinguishes itself on its own merits.
“As such, a maze of spoiler-filled twists and turns begin to form, and along the way, the characterization does not play second fiddle to the muck and mire within the plot itself. And while the film presents two different sets of societal ways of life suddenly living under one roof, the film hogties them both together to eliminate any space between as the film finally reaches its peak. All in all, this is a hidden gem of a first feature from director Markowicz that deserves to be seen by a wider audience. 4 cats out of 5”
Michael says: “This Argentinian/Brazilian production is a first-time feature for writer/directors Carolina Marcowicz, and its intriguing premise black humor, and unusual set-up gets it past some of it’s somewhat head-scratching choices, or first-film blunders. In the remote countryside of Sao Paulo, a couple and their young son are taking care of their failing patriarch. They are struggling financially, their home is falling apart, and the work they do with their charcoal mine is barely enough to keep the household going. Irene cooks meals for her friends to try to make ends meet. A visit from Juracy, a new nurse sent from somewhere to care for their ailing father brings with it a proposition that sets their lives on a different path. An Argentinian drug lord needs a place in which to disappear while the heat from his last hit-job cools. His introduction into the household provides a host of uncomfortable and amusing situations as the family tries to continue forward around him. The influx of cash they receive for taking on this responsibility causes changes in all three of the remaining members of the family (the ailing father not surviving the first quarter of the film) and things start to move toward a murky conclusion in order to wrap things up.
“Marcowicz has created a confounding yet entertaining film. Some of the choices of story elements are a bit baffling (most notably with Irene’s husband) but the darker humorous elements hit pretty well. Performances are good, and the cast doesn’t try to play any of the characters up for sympathy… they’re all just doing what they have to do to get by. It’s definitely an intriguing set-up and a scenario we don’t often see. I look forward to seeing what Marcowicz is able to do in the future once she has shaken off some of her inexperience. 3 cats”