I found this film a great way to discover in more detail the types of peoples that live in Brazil. It was really beautiful to see all the diversity in the country because I think that often works about Brazil can be a lot more focused on specific perspectives. I think an argument that could potentially arise in class is the reliability of the film as a source since the director is Finnish, however, if this is what he has spent a large amount of time studying it then I think that it is a sufficient amount of accreditation, and besides the film accomplished what it set out to do, paint a picture of the musical diversity in Brazil.
One of the things that stood out to me is that there seem to be many community leaders who are searching to pass down traditions through music, especially when they are engaging the children in those traditions. It seemed very joyful that music seemed so easily embraced by so many communities, which is something that I think differs from Western societies, where unorganized music can often be discouraged because of preference for organized music. What I mean by organized and disorganized is that organized music being recorded, produced, and ‘professional’, and the disorganized being street, rural, improvised, etc.
I think the film gives a lot of voice to the people of Brazil, who would never otherwise be given to share their story or their art. I think this is the main reason I enjoyed the film the way I did because it gave a way for people to speak their truth. Not only that, but I think that is something that we should talk about in class this week, as well as a theme that maybe we haven’t touched on enough this semester, but the class does have a limited amplitude.
Question: What is the director’s role in a film like this, and how may it differ from other films?
What is the role of indigenous voice in popular cultures?
Hi Dylan!
I really liked how you pointed out the “organized” versus “unorganized” music, and how the former is generally more accepted in Western culture, while it seems the latter is celebrated just as much in Latin America (or at the very least, in Brazil, in the parts specifically shown through the film). I had a similar thought when I watched the film as I considered the fact that in my own personal experience, as well as is shown in the film, Latin American peoples seem to care less about staying perfectly “on pitch” than people from Western parts of the world do. I think this could be another aspect of the “unorganized-ness” that you mentioned. As somebody not very confident in their singing skills though, I’ve always appreciated that I can count on my friends from Latin America to belt it out with me, even if we’re off-key.