Birdwatchers
THE devastating effects of European colonialism are confronted head on in this thoughtful, crusading film.
When members of the Guarani-Kaiowa tribe in Brazil reclaim the land of their ancestors it creates an escalating tension with the white farmers who consider it their own.
It is a straightforward conflict depicted with complexity as we witness how the lives of an indigenous race have been eroded over the decades.
There is the possibility a younger generation may bring about change but the relationship between farmer’s daughter Maria (Fabiane Pereira da Silva) and Osvaldo (Abrisio da Silva Pedro) is a passing glimmer of hope in a bleak tale.
VERDICT 3/5
(Cert 15; 104 mins)