Cidade; Campo (2024) by Juliana Rojas: A Diptych of Dislocation and Rediscovery

Short Summary: Journeys of Adaptation and Spectral Echoes Cidade; Campo presents two distinct yet interconnected stories of migration between urban and rural Brazil. In the first, Joana, displaced by a natural disaster, seeks a new life and her family in São Paulo. In the second, Flavia and her wife Mara leave the city for Flavia's inherited rural farm, only to confront the harsh realities of country life and mysterious, supernatural presences that stir old memories and grief. The film explores how memories, trauma, and the supernatural permeate both city and countryside, challenging the very notion of defined boundaries.

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/pt/title/tt30858110/

Link Review: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/457128/

About movie: https://theopenreel.com/film/cidade-campo/

Link to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/cidade-campo (US), https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/cidade-campo (Canada)

Detailed Summary: Two Sides of a Migratory Coin

• Part 1: City – Joana's Urban Resilience: After a devastating flood destroys her rural hometown, rendering her land uninhabitable, Joana, a rural worker, is forced to migrate to São Paulo. Her primary goal is to find her sister Tania and her grandson Jaime, and to rebuild her life from scratch. She confronts the harsh realities of precarious urban employment, eventually finding work with a cleaning company. Through shared struggles for better working conditions, Joana develops bonds with her colleagues. Simultaneously, her growing connection with young Jaime stirs profound memories of her own missing son, intertwining her past grief with her present struggle. The film subtly weaves in elements of her rural past, as her memories and even ghostly presence of her lost white horse haunt her urban existence.

• Part 2: Country – Flavia's Rural Confrontation: In a contrasting narrative, Flavia and her wife Mara, both city dwellers, decide to move to Flavia's deceased estranged father's farm in the countryside. Seeking a fresh start and perhaps a connection to a simpler life, they are quickly met with the shocking realities and harshness of rural existence. As they try to reanimate the dying farm, they uncover hidden and unsettling aspects of Flavia's father's life within the abandoned farmhouse. More ominously, Flavia begins to suspect a mysterious, possibly supernatural, presence lurking in the surrounding woods. Nature itself seems to compel them to confront old memories and ghosts, as a supernatural atmosphere pervades this segment, differing in look and narrative pace from the first.

• The Permeable Boundary: The film's title, with its semicolon, hints at the deliberate separation and subtle connection between the two narratives. A faint visual link, such as a mysterious red light appearing alongside the moon in both settings, suggests that these seemingly disparate worlds are permeable, with memories, trauma, and the supernatural flowing between urban and rural spaces.

Director's Vision: Blurring Boundaries and Weaving the Supernatural

• Juliana Rojas, known for blending social critique with the surreal and supernatural (as seen in Good Manners), intentionally splits the film into two distinct halves to explore the contrasts between urban and rural life while simultaneously showing their interconnectedness.

• Her vision is to depict "disturbing migration" and to question the rigid boundaries between city and country, showing how "one space [is] expanding into the other" through personal memories, haunting pasts, and spectral presences.

• Rojas emphasizes the "permeable" nature of different worlds, allowing the rural to echo in the urban and vice versa.

• She deliberately incorporates supernatural elements, particularly in the second story, drawing inspiration from her love for ghost stories to enhance the existential dimension of living with nature's rougher rhythms. This also serves to confront the materialistic essence of city life with the more existential approach found in nature.

• The director also aimed to explore universal issues such as family ties, grief, work relations, and love, framed by these two distinct migratory experiences. The film's more abstract and mood-driven style, particularly in the "Campo" section, reflects a deeply personal processing of grief following her own father's death.

Themes: Migration, Memory, Grief, and the Supernatural

• Urban-Rural Divide and Permeability: The core theme explores the stark contrasts and unexpected overlaps between city and countryside, challenging the notion of clear boundaries between these two distinct ways of life.

• Migration and Dislocation: The film examines the human experience of forced migration (Joana) and voluntary relocation (Flavia and Mara), highlighting the challenges of adapting to new environments and seeking belonging.

• Memory and Trauma: Both stories are deeply steeped in the characters' memories and unresolved traumas. Joana is haunted by the loss of her home and son, while Flavia unearths hidden aspects of her father's past and confronts ghosts in the countryside.

• Supernatural Elements and Folk Horror: Particularly in the "Campo" segment, the film incorporates elements of the supernatural and gentle folk horror, suggesting that nature itself holds ancient secrets and can be a source of both solace and unease.

• Social Realism vs. Existentialism: The "Cidade" segment leans into social realism, depicting precarious labor and collective struggle, while the "Campo" segment embraces a more existential approach, confronting characters with the raw, spiritual, and mysterious aspects of nature.

Key Success Factors: Dual Narrative Structure and Festival Acclaim

• Innovative Dual Narrative: The film's diptych structure, presenting two distinct but subtly connected stories, offers a unique cinematic experience that encourages contemplation and draws thematic parallels.

• Director's Distinctive Voice: Juliana Rojas's reputation for blending social commentary with elements of the fantastic and horror ensures an original and thought-provoking approach.

• Strong Performances: The cast, particularly Fernanda Vianna as Joana and the dynamic between Mirella Façanha and Bruna Linzmeyer as Flavia and Mara, anchors the emotional complexity of the stories.

• Festival Pedigree: Its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival and subsequent selections at numerous international festivals (including San Sebastián and London) indicate strong artistic merit and critical interest.

• Thematic Relevance: The exploration of migration, environmental disaster, class struggle, and urban vs. rural existence resonates with contemporary global and Brazilian social issues.

Awards and Nominations: Prestigious Festival Recognition Cidade; Campo has garnered significant attention on the international film festival circuit, receiving several accolades:

• Berlin International Film Festival (2024): Winner of the Encounters Award for Best Director (Juliana Rojas).

• IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival (2024): Winner of the QueerArtLab Award.

• Teddy Award (2024): Nominated for Best Feature Film. It was also an Official Selection at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and others, solidifying its standing as a critically acclaimed work.

Critics Reception: A Unique and Thought-Provoking Diptych

• fillums: Described the film as a "mood film" that blends "contemporary Brazilian social critique with the surreal and supernatural." It noted the distinctness of the two halves, with the first being more grounded in realism and the second leaning into "gentle folk horror," but questioned the overall "messaging or subtext."

• The Reviews Hub (BFI London Film Festival): Acknowledged the film's "two films, City and Countryside," noting their distinctness and lack of merging narratives, but found "enough mystery and mysticism to hold the viewer's attention." While praising the first half for its realism, it found the second half more abstract and "somewhat rejects the audience instead of drawing them in."

• Cineuropa: Olivia Popp lauded the film's "meditative, but never dragging pace" as a strength, allowing for "contemplation between the stories, which on their own would feel unfinished."

• Fred Film Radio: Angelo Acerbi highlighted the successful confrontation between the "materialistic requirements of city life and the existentialistic dimensions of life in and with nature."

• Moviebreak.de: Offered a more critical view, suggesting the film's ideas were "actorially bumpy and atmospherically unstable," with the film getting "lost in narrative nothingness."

• Overall Summary: Critics are largely impressed by Juliana Rojas's unique vision and the film's ambitious dual narrative structure, which distinguishes it from conventional storytelling. While praised for its meditative pace, exploration of contrasting themes, and blend of social realism with the supernatural, some find the distinct narratives to lack cohesion or a clear overarching message, and aspects of the second story to be less accessible or engaging.

Reviews: Artistic, Slow-Burn, and Rewarding for Patient Viewers

• User/Audience Reception (general sentiment from festival circuits): Audiences familiar with Juliana Rojas's previous work (like Good Manners) appreciated her distinctive style. Many viewers found it to be a slow-burn film that requires patience but offers a rich, contemplative experience. Its artistic approach and thematic depth resonated with those looking for something beyond mainstream cinema.

• Overall Summary: Reviews from festivals and early screenings suggest that "Cidade; Campo" is regarded as an artistic and thought-provoking film, particularly appealing to cinephiles and those interested in contemporary Brazilian cinema. Its unique structure and deliberate pacing, while not for everyone, are often cited as strengths by those who connect with its nuanced exploration of migration, memory, and identity.

Why to watch this movie: A Meditative Journey Across Brazilian Landscapes

• Unique Narrative Structure: Experience a two-part film that subtly connects seemingly disparate stories, offering a fresh approach to storytelling.

• Juliana Rojas's Distinctive Voice: Immerse yourself in the work of an acclaimed director known for her unique blend of social commentary, realism, and supernatural elements.

• Deep Thematic Exploration: Engage with profound themes of migration, displacement, memory, grief, and the complex relationship between urban and rural life.

• Rich Cultural Context: Gain insight into contemporary Brazilian society, its social issues, and its vibrant landscapes.

• Festival Darling: Watch a film that has already earned significant critical acclaim and awards on the international festival circuit.

Movie Trend: Contemporary Brazilian Art-House Cinema "Cidade; Campo" is a prime example of contemporary Brazilian art-house cinema, which often distinguishes itself with a focus on social commentary, experimental narrative structures, and a willingness to blend genres (e.g., drama with fantasy or horror elements). These films frequently explore national identity, social inequality, and the complexities of modern Brazilian life, often gaining significant traction and awards on the international festival circuit.

Social Trend: Urbanization, Rural Exodus, and Environmental Displacement The film directly addresses the pressing global and particularly Brazilian social trends of rapid urbanization, rural exodus, and environmental displacement caused by natural disasters or human exploitation. It highlights the human cost of these shifts, the struggle for adaptation in new environments, and the persistent ties to one's land and memories. The film also touches upon issues of precarious labor in urban centers and the challenges of sustaining a traditional rural life.

Final Verdict: A Poignant and Artistically Ambitious Reflection on Modern Brazil Juliana Rojas's "Cidade; Campo" is a poignant, artistically ambitious, and profoundly relevant film. Its unconventional diptych structure effectively captures the complex interplay between city and countryside, memory and present, realism and the supernatural. While its pacing and abstract elements may require a patient viewer, the film richly rewards with its deep thematic exploration of migration, identity, and the lingering echoes of trauma and the past. Rojas's unique cinematic voice shines through, making this a significant and contemplative contribution to contemporary Brazilian cinema that resonates far beyond its national borders.