A Strange Path

(Estranho Caminho)
Guto Parente | Drama, Fiction

2023 | 83 minutes | Brazil

A young filmmaker returns to his hometown and attempts to reconnect with his father as the pandemic rapidly accelerates across Brazil.

Family Mental Health Health + Aging Sociology Cinema Studies Sociology
Synopsis

Experimental filmmaker David returns to Brazil after a decade, coinciding with the premiere of his feature film at a local festival. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic looms and the threat of lockdown intensifies, his professional plans are derailed. Forced to delay his departure, David’s focus shifts to his estranged relationship with his father, whom he has not seen in ten years.

Without a phone or stable accommodation, David finds himself at his father's doorstep, initiating an uneasy and fragmented cohabitation. As David attempts to reconnect and understand the enigmatic man, he encounters resistance, navigating his father’s inscrutable and erratic behavior.

Set against the backdrop of an impending global crisis, this award-winning film explores themes of alienation, familial tension, and the struggle for connection. It garnered critical acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival, winning Best International Narrative Feature, Best Performance, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

Reviews

“Director Guto Parente makes use of experimental footage throughout the film to convey David's mood and accentuate the twists and turns of his journey. ‘A Strange Path’ is a deeply personal story about family and belonging.” – Casey Baron, Tribeca Film Festival

“A curious fantasy anchored both in pure fabrication worthy of a filmmaker, and in the most concrete of realities (the COVID-19 pandemic and the relationships between parents and sons).” – Lucas Oliveira, Cinematório

“A Strange Path shines like a peculiar fantasy, and in some ways like a tribute to experimental cinema, but from a very personal vision that makes everything narrated undeniably interesting and fresh.” – Raquel Loredo, Caiman Cuadernos de Cine

"A Strange Path surprises you with its direction and incorporates the pandemic to highlight the isolation and discomfort of relying on a parent you feel detached from and captures the yearning to overcome that hurdle." - DarkSkyLady

Citation

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Keywords
A Strange Path,Estranho Caminho,Guto Parente,drama,fantasy,Brasil,Brazil,Fortaleza,Lucas Limeira,Carlos Francisco,Tarzia Firmino,Rita Cabaço,Renan Capivara,Ana Marlene,Brazil,pandemic,covid-19,family,lockdown,confinement,father,son,relationships,death,fatherhood,family,kin,fellowship,household,immediate family,extended family,multigenerational family,multigenerational household,kinfolk,family tree,genealogy,nuclear family,modern family,family tree,afro latin america,black latin america,afro latino,afro latinx,afro latina,black latino,black latinx,black latina,afro latin,afro-americanism,afro-brazilian,afro-cuban,afro-haitian,afro-colombian,afro-dominican,afro-mexican,afro-puertorican,afro-honduran,afro-bolivian,afro-argentinian,afro-chilean,afro-peruvian,afro-nicauraguan,afro-guatemalan,afro-caribbean,diaspora,slave trade,mental illness,therapy,trauma,behavioral health,mental disability,psychology,psychiatry,social work,wellbeing,counselor,diagnosis,mentally disabled,mental incapacitation,mentally defective,mental handicap,mental defective,psychotic break,psychosis,psychoses,mentally sound,questionable mental health,health,healthy,physical health,mental health,emotional health,health equity,public health,health care,health policy,fitness,veracity,welfare,soundness,aging,age,old age,senior,youth,middle age,aging gracefully,advanced age,collective health,maturity,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,cinema studies,film studies,cinema,film,movies,motion pictures,film history,film production,film criticism,cinema history,cinema production,cinema criticism,movie history,movie production,movie criticism,history of cinema,history of film,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ; "A Strange Path"; Pragda Films
Clips
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Festivals

Tribeca Film Festival - Best International Narrative Feature, Best Performance (Carlos Francisco), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Linga Acácio); Guanajuato International Film Festival; San Sebastian International Film Festival; MOTELX - Lisbon International Horror Film Festival; Agenda Brasil - Best Film; Nashville Film Festival; Rio de Janeiro Int'l Film Festival - Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Carlos Francisco); Warsaw International Film Festival; Sao Paulo International Film Festival; Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival; Festival FILMAR; Goa International Film Festival of India; La Habana Film Festival - Best Original Soundtrack, Best Film Award from the Casa de Las Americas; El Gouna Film Festival -  El Gouna Bronze Star for Narrative Film; Victoria Film Festival; Fantasporto - Porto International Film Festival; Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse - Special Mention Jury Coup de Cœur; Chicago Latino Film Festival; BAFICI Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema

DIRECTOR: Guto Parente

NATIONALITY: Brazil

YEAR: 2023

GENRE: Drama, Fiction

LANGUAGE: Portuguese

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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