Ariel Kuaray Ortega's complex docufiction, co-authored with Ernesto de Carvalho, investigates the mysterious story of Canuto, a man from his grandfather's generation who, during Brazil's military dictatorship, is said to have transformed into a jaguar. The film, a prizewinner at the 2023 IDFA festival, unfolds at an unhurried pace in a remote forested region on the border with Argentina.
Ortega, a member of the Mbyá-Guarani movie collective, returns to his home town to stage a fictional re-enactment with local people, blending documentary and fiction. He interviews his aged grandfather and villagers about their customs and beliefs, and their fraught relationship with the military tyranny, a period notorious for the 'disappeared' – providing an enigmatic political context for Canuto's vanishing and the appropriation of their lands.
The film also critiques a 'white architect' who designed an award-winning wooden community centre, which the community finds flimsy and plans to dismantle for lumber. Scenes are shown in real-time, immersive long takes.
Does anyone believe Canuto truly became a jaguar? The film questions assumptions, suggesting the myth might be a collective way to process shock and grief over a political or otherwise horrible end. It's an intriguing study of belief and memory.
