Madalena has vanished. Elon saw his wife yesterday before she left for work but when he went to pick her up, she was nowhere to be found. Her colleagues don’t know where she is, she isn’t in one of the hospitals and the police think it’s too soon to file a missing person’s report. And so Elon wanders Belo Horizonte at night, past endless concrete and favelas. Life in the metropolis seems dimmed, as if it too awaits Madalena’s return.
The camera sticks close to Elon, pulling us further into his world. It’s a claustrophobic one, and increasingly so. Whilst others shrug their shoulders, dismissing his worries, Elon’s restlessness increases. He tacks back and forth between doubt and paranoia, which doesn’t help his grip on reality. The minimalist, haunting soundtrack by Daniel Saveedra and Pablo Lamar (of La última tierra fame) punctuates this impressive report on a disintegrating life.