Gabriel Mascaro's filmography embraces narrative perspectives that we rarely see on screen. His 2019 film Divine Love is a neon soaked dance experience that amplifies love and unity against a backdrop of bureaucracy, while his 2015 film Neon Bull invites us into a world of rodeos, horse dancing, and flights of fantasy, and in the process, Gabriel invites us to consider the world anew.That approach to narrative storytelling continues with his latest, and in my view best, film, The Blue...
Gabriel Mascaro's filmography embraces narrative perspectives that we rarely see on screen. His 2019 film Divine Love is a neon soaked dance experience that amplifies love and unity against a backdrop of bureaucracy, while his 2015 film Neon Bull invites us into a world of rodeos, horse dancing, and flights of fantasy, and in the process, Gabriel invites us to consider the world anew.
That approach to narrative storytelling continues with his latest, and in my view best, film, The Blue Trail.
On paper, The Blue Trail sounds oppressive, dystopian, and bleak, as it tells the story of a Brazil which seeks to embrace economic recovery by creating a system where senior citizens over 80 are deported to a 'colony'. We're never shown the colony, nor what occurs to the citizens when they reach there, but we don't need to see it either, given the way that elderly citizens are transported in prison like vehicles - a small van with a cage like apparatus on the back - called wrinkle wagons, forcing the elderly into this colony existence.
Yet, what Gabriel Mascaro presents is instead a film that is quite beautiful and tender, reminding audiences that while the elderly may be old, it does not mean that they don't have any more life left to live. Our hero of the story is Tereza, conjured into superb existence with one of the best performances of the year by Denise Weinberg, a 77 year old woman who finds herself scooped up in the unexpected age reduction of the colony residents which now includes her age group. Instead of embracing her fate, Tereza defiantly says that she has a life left to live, and embarks on ticking off some of the things she has never achieved, one such activity being that of flying.
So, thwarting authorities and making friends with the underworld, Tereza sets off on the Amazon, heading down river to find a place that will help her achieve her goal of flying, and maybe a little bit more along the way.
The Blue Trail is a lovely ode to living a full life in your older years. Gabriel Mascaro's direction is a supportive and nurturing one, easing the viewer out of any form of tension and inviting an embrace of comfort and tenderness instead. That direction is wonderfully supported by the stunning cinematography from Guillermo Garza whose lens captures the nature of the Amazon with care, and brings a life to the almost desolate riverside shacks that Tereza makes her way in and out of. Paired with this is the soaring score from Memo Guerra, a composition that pulses with techno like sensibility paired with an almost orchestral vibe at times. It's unique, yet wholly appropriate to the film itself.
The Blue Trail stands apart from similar films which might have embraced the tone of a thriller or increased the tension by putting Tereza into precarious situations that she can't get herself out of. It's then a relief to experience The Blue Trail and see that Tereza is a fully rounded person, she might be older than her counterparts on screen, but she's competent and knows how to handle herself. Gabriel clearly cares for her, and in the process of that, he knows that by showing her support and tenderness, he's also inviting audiences to reconsider our relationships with elderly folks.
That's one of the discussion points, amongst many, that Gabriel talks on in the following interview, recorded ahead of The Blue Trail's screenings at Perth Festival.
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