A convincing feature debut by Fellipe Barbosa, a Brazilian cinematic revelation, Casa Grande evolves from an expressly intimate, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story into a critique of class distinctions and racism inherent in contemporary Brazilian society.
Seventeen year-old Jean lives with his parents and his younger sister in the elite district of Rio, among private schools, drivers and housekeepers. Jean is in his last year at secondary school and has to decide on what to study but is busy with girls, his appearance and nightlife. While Jean tries to escape from his over-protective parents, they keep their approaching bankruptcy secret. Above this well-organised and elitist world, dark clouds gather when it becomes apparent that Jean’s dad, without informing his children, has used up nearly all the money.
»It’s an extremely personal film, since it portrays the world in which I grew up and from which I tried to escape. My main intention was to tell a great story, focusing on characters and their relationships, set in a very specific and authentic universe. I worked with non-professional teenage actors alongside soap opera stars, whose image connects with the characters in the film. Besides the naturalism in the performances, I strived for a formal rigour.« (Fellipe Barbosa)
Fellipe Barbosa
Born in 1981, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Barbosa studied film at Columbia University in New York. He directed several short films: two of them, La muerte es pequeña and Salt Kiss, are especially noteworthy. In 2007, the Filmmaker Magazine named him one of the 25 “new faces of independent film”. In 2011, Barbosa directed a full-length documentary, Laura. Casa Grande is his first fiction feature as a director.
filmography
2005 La muerte es pequeña (short)
2007 Beijo de sal/Salt Kiss (short)
2008 Canosaone (short)
2011 Laura (documentary)
2014 Casa Grande (Velika hiša)